People in the Nordic countries are living longer than ever before. While this is a great achievement, it also creates new challenges: how can our health systems, communities, and societies support people to age well? And how can we ensure that future generations benefit from healthier, more active later lives? The Nordic countries already lead in aging research and have built rich datasets from population studies on health, lifestyle, and aging. But these valuable resources are often limited to national use, with little coordination across countries. This means missed opportunities to learn from each other, compare systems, and find shared solutions.
NEXT-NORD is a Nordic cooperation project that brings together universities and research institutes from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Finland.
The goal is to strengthen collaboration on aging research across borders, making better use of the data and knowledge already available. We will do this by supporting young researchers through exchanges and joint training, developing shared approaches to compare health data between countries, and creating common practices for using data ethically and responsibly. We will also involve stakeholders like policymakers, funders, and data owners to make sure our work supports real-world decisions. Rather than creating new data, NEXT-NORD will focus on connecting what already exists, helping researchers work together more efficiently and laying the groundwork for a future Nordic research infrastructure on aging. The long-term result? A stronger, more connected Nordic region that can lead globally in aging research and support better health for all as we grow older.
