Europe is entering a new demographic era. As life expectancy continues to increase, policymakers and health systems face a growing challenge: ensuring that longer lives are also healthier lives. Preventing and managing chronic diseases across the life course, and reducing the burden of multi-morbidity in later life, are now central priorities for sustainable health systems and a key focus of national governments, the EU Parliament and EU Commission, and the World Health Organisation.
The STAGE Science for Policy Forum: Healthy Ageing as a System – Connecting Science, Policy and Practice will bring together researchers, policymakers, healthcare professionals, and public health leaders to explore how scientific evidence can better inform policy development across Europe. This online forum will focus on the role of science in shaping effective policy responses to population ageing. Participants will examine how insights from research on ageing, chronic disease, and health systems can be translated into practical strategies that support healthier ageing trajectories. The discussion will emphasise the need for a systems perspective—recognising that healthy ageing is influenced by interconnected factors including prevention, clinical care, public health policy, and broader social and environmental determinants.
The forum is organised as part of the STAGE (Science and Technology in Ageing) Horizon Europe project, which intends to strengthen understanding of the biological, environmental, and social drivers of ageing and multi-morbidity. By integrating scientific research with policy engagement, STAGE is working to ensure that evidence generated through research can inform policy decisions and support effective health system responses across Europe. The Science for Policy Forum will provide a platform for dialogue between the scientific community and policymakers, highlighting opportunities to align research, innovation, and policy action. Strengthening these connections is essential if Europe is to support healthier ageing populations while maintaining resilient and sustainable health systems.
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