New 1.5 milion for dementia research launched by Alzheimer's Society and Bupa Foundation

The UK's Alzheimer's Society and the Bupa Foundation have launched a partnership to boost research into dementia and its causes. The two charities are together launching a £1.5million ($2.5 million) fund to support research into an issue that is affecting more and more people in the UK and internationally.

The new fund aims to encourage partnership and collaboration between institutions to maximize expert involvement and to share knowledge and best practice. Researchers can apply for grants ranging from £100,000 to £750,000 and the fund is also open to applications from researchers in Australia, China, Denmark, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Thailand, as well as the UK.

Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said: 'Dementia research is seriously under-funded. Much more needs to be invested if we are to see the same advancements in dementia care and treatment as we have seen for cancer. By delaying the onset of dementia by just five years we could halve the number of deaths from the condition, saving 30,000 lives a year, but without progress in research the economic cost of the disease is likely to rise to £27 billion by 2018.'