Dear friends
I am happy to share some news from Israel that may be of interest to the longevity community.
First of all, I am happy to share that the next Longevity Nation conference will take place in Israel on November 23-24, 2026. The dates were chosen to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founder of our Vetek (Seniority) Association – The Movement for Longevity and Quality of Life, Rafi Eitan (23 November 1926 – 23 March 2019). The conference is planned to take place in the same venue as in the past years, at Bar-Ilan University (Nanotechnology Building), in Ramat Gan (Tel Aviv district). Registration is already open. The attendance is free, but registration is required. So far, only in person, physical attendance is planned. https://longevitynation.org/
And another very exciting announcement I am happy to transmit is that the Britain-Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership on Healthy Ageing (BIRAX Healthy Ageing) Call for Research Proposals 2025 is now officially open for applications!
https://www.britishcouncil.org.il/en/birax/call-for-proposals
BIRAX is an initiative of the British Council and the British Embassy in Israel together with the Pears Foundation, investing in world-leading research jointly undertaken by scientists in the UK and Israel. BIRAX have awarded 32 research projects to date, investing over £12.5 million via five calls for proposals. Out of these, 13 projects totalling £5.2 million (~7 million USD), were granted to projects focusing on ageing and its impact on human health.
This new call for research proposals builds on previous calls and has been designed to address one of today’s most pressing global challenges: Healthy Ageing. The call invites research proposals submitted jointly by scientists based in the UK and Israel, aiming to advance our understanding of ageing and its impact on human health and wellbeing. Both Principal Investigators, from the UK and Israel, must be employed by an academic institution, research hospital, or research institute in their respective countries of residence. (Scientists not based in the UK or Israel may also participate, in addition to the UK and Israeli PI’s, if they are fully self-funded, but they are not eligible to receive BIRAX funding.)
Grants will be awarded for a period of three years, with a maximum value of £400,000 per project. Please note that the final grant amount awarded to individual projects will be subject to the availability of funds.
Deadline for applications: Sunday, 1 March 2026 at 21:59 (UK Time) / 23:59 (Israel Time).
Particularly welcome are proposals that explore: 1) Biological mechanisms of ageing, including disease susceptibility, prevention, and mitigation; 2) Precision medicine, including prediction of risk and early intervention at the individual level; 3) Wellbeing interventions including nutrition, mobility preservation and social participation.
Specific research priorities include: 1) Research focused on women; 2) Pharmaceutical Research; 3) Interdisciplinary Research; 4) Big Data, Deep Learning & AI; 5) Translational and/or Personalised Medicine.
Eligible Subject Areas include: 1) Age-related Multimorbidity; 2) Cardiovascular Disease; 3) Ageing and Diabetes; 4) Neurodegenerative Diseases; 5) Age-related Research Conditions Centred on Women; 6) Age-related Frailty and Other Geriatric Syndromes; 7) Interventions in Nutrition or Physical activity for Healthier Ageing, focusing on wellbeing interventions and preventive measures to promote healthy ageing and prevent age-related diseases, including: a) Physical Exercise and Nutrition; b) Environmental Impact on Health; c) Diagnostics in Digital Health; d) Mental Health.
Please note that this call is for preliminary proposals. Please note that all shortlisted Preliminary Proposals will be invited to submit a Full Proposal. Projects will be selected for funding only at the Full Proposal stage.
The following timeline will apply: Deadline for Preliminary Proposals - 1 March 2026; Notification of Academic Selection Panel’s shortlisted proposals - March 2026; Deadline for Full Proposals - End of June 2026; Final Academic Selection Panel results (Full Proposals) - November-December 2026; Announcement of funded projects - December 2026.
More information, including the full call for proposals, and accompanying explanations and instructions documents can be found in this link:
https://www.britishcouncil.org.il/en/birax/call-for-proposals
Welcome to spread the word about this call for proposals to more people who may derive benefit from it!
Also for your reference, here is some history about the 1st and 2nd BIRAX Ageing Calls for Proposals - in 2018 and 2021.
Good luck to all the applicants! Looking forward to this program’s positive impact for healthy longevity!
Sincerely,
Ilia Stambler
Chairman. Vetek (Seniority) Association – The Movement for Longevity and Quality of Life, Israel.
https://www.longevityisrael.org/birax-healthy-ageing-call-for-research-proposals-2025/
Ilia Stambler, PhD
Chairman and CSO. Vetek (Seniority) Association – The Movement for Longevity and Quality of Life, Israel http://www.longevityisrael.org/
Chairman. International Longevity Alliance (ILA) http://www.longevityalliance.org/
Chairman. Longevity Nation conference https://longevitynation.org/
Fellow. Department of Science, Technology and Society, Bar-Ilan University, Israel https://sts.biu.ac.il/
Author. Longevity History. A History of Life-Extensionism in the Twentieth Century ; Longevity Promotion: Multidisciplinary Perspectives http://longevityhistory.com
Email: ilia.s...@gmail.com
Tel (WhatsApp): +972522283578
Rishon Lezion. Israel
thanks!