Awen Institute

Project description

The Awen Institute brings together leading researchers with older people and the creative industries to co-produce products, services and environments for an increasing older population.

Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Welsh Government, the institute is being led by Swansea University, in partnership with University of South Wales and University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

Delivery model

The Awen Institute is developing research with the creative industries that improves our understanding of ageing and later life in the context of three broad interrelated research areas:

• Health and Wellbeing – effective experiences, products and services in the creative industries
• Place – design for age-friendly and dementia-supportive places
• Work – creative solutions to the challenges and opportunities of working until later in life.

The Awen Institute’s Living Lab is being developed to deliver a commercially-focused research facility. The Living Lab comprises a flexible space to develop products in different simulated environments.  It also includes a versatile virtual reality facility and a café lab, to provide relaxed spaces for developing ideas.  This central hub connects with existing regional nodes (such as creative spaces for arts, film, music and performance), where researchers and innovators can work together with older people to develop new products, services, experiences and environments.

The research outputs of the Living Lab are likely to:

• Promote a better understanding of older consumer’s demand for products, services and experiences for active and healthy ageing.
• Be used to overcome the deficit in our understanding of the older consumer market and challenge negative stereotypes of ageing.

Geographical coverage

The project will benefit all local authorities across the West Wales and Valleys area.

Specific targets

The indicators associated with the Awen Institute operation are aligned to the ERDF Strategic Objective 1.1 and addresses Focus Area A (developing specialist research capacity).

Indicators include:

1. improved research infrastructure facilities
2. new researchers in supported entities
3. Amount of research funding secured
4. BERD secured (Business Enterprise R&D income)
5. No. enterprises cooperating with supported research institutions

Contact details

Name: Mark Callen
Email: m.c.allen@Swansea.ac.uk
Address: Awen Institute, Talbot Building, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP
Website:
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Additional details

Linked In: The Awen Institute

Instagram: awen_institute