The ACE²-EU ARIES Incubator invites researchers, innovators, and cross-disciplinary teams from our alliance to submit project proposals focused on “Healthy Aging and Community Interventions”.

This workshop is designed to foster collaborative, high-impact joint research initiatives that address the evolving challenges and opportunities in healthy aging. Through the workshop we aim,

  • To strengthen and develop the thematic focus and regional reach of the three existing Applied Research Centres (ARCs).
  • To build bridges between ARCs by addressing interdisciplinary or cross-cutting themes that promote cooperation across the alliance’s research domains.
  • To strengthen and expand junior and senior researchers’ capacities to design high‑quality, impact‑oriented research projects, secure competitive funding, and plan and manage projects effectively across their lifecycle.
  • To promote meaningful cooperation within the Alliance by fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, co‑creation, and joint initiatives that bridge the Alliance’s diverse research domains.

About Thematic Focus: Healthy Aging and Community Interventions

This three‑day in‑person workshop supports researchers in designing, funding, and managing high‑quality, impact‑oriented projects on Healthy Aging and Community Interventions across the ACE²‑EU Alliance. It focuses on expanding local initiatives into collaborative, cross‑disciplinary projects, strengthening cooperation between institutions, and aligning research with real community needs.

Combining interactive sessions with hands‑on project work, it enables participants to engage directly with experienced project managers, grant professionals, and peers, partners, and stakeholders from across the ACE²‑EU Alliance to co‑create robust proposals and implementation plans.

Thematic focus areas of the workshop would be,

  • Oncology Patients During and After Treatment
  • Women’s Health in Menopause
  • Patients with Musculoskeletal Disorders
  • Mental Health Promotion
  • Nutrition, Healthy Diets and Sustainable Eating
  • Quality of Life, Intergenerational Relations and Demographic Ageing

What you’ll gain:

  • Broaden your local initiative into an Alliance‑wide project with greater reach and impact.
  • Co‑create innovative, cross‑disciplinary research projects in collaboration with peers from across the Alliance.
  • Receive tailored guidance on shaping strong project proposals and identifying suitable funding opportunities.

Who should attend

This workshop is designed for

  • Senior, mid‑career and junior researchers from across the Alliance who are leading, or preparing to lead, research & development projects. It will be especially valuable for those who wish to scale local initiatives into Alliance‑wide collaborations and increase their success in competitive funding calls.
  • Research group leaders, project coordinators, and principal investigators from any discipline within the Alliance’s domains are strongly encouraged to attend.

Your Journey till the Workshop

  1. Submit your interest:
    1. Deadline for Registration: 15 September 2026, 23:59 CET
    2. Registration: Register here
  2. Virtual Coffee Call: This session is created for you to learn more about your journey through the process.
    1. Date: 10 September, 2026
    2. Time: 14:00 CET
    3. Meeting link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88226570027?pwd=UBaEI07lrDRPLeBN4kayEPjYQCc4B3.1
  3. Pre-event Briefing Session: Meet the researchers and collaborators from the alliance partners that will be joining the workshop, share the proposal ideas, networking and expectation settings.
    1. Date: 19 November, 2026
    2. Time: 14:00 CET
    3. Meeting Link: will be shared as calendar invite
  4. Attend the On-site Workshop: Meet your collaborators in-person and get to work developing the proposal, discussions, knowledge sharing and peer learning.
    1. Dates: 2-4 December 2026
    2. Location: Santarém Polytechnic University – Sport Sciences School of Rio Maior (ESDRM), Rio Maior, Portugal
    3. Programme
Day 1Day 2Day 3

MORNING

· Opening

· Session 1 – From Idea to Proposal: Foundations of Research Project Planning and Grant Writing

· Session 2 – Managing Research in Practice: Applying Project Management Principles to Grant-Funded Projects

MORNING

· Session 5 – Ethics by Design in Healthy Aging and Community Research

· Session 6 – Making Results Matter: Deliverables, Dissemination, Communication, Impact and Open Access Publishing

MORNING

Group work

· Healthy Aging and Community Interventions – Oncology Patients During and After Treatment

· Healthy Aging and Community Interventions – Women’s Health in Menopause

· Healthy Aging and Community Interventions – Patients with Musculoskeletal Disorders

· Healthy Aging and Community Interventions – Mental Health Promotion

· Healthy Aging and Community Interventions – Nutrition, Healthy Diets and Sustainable Eating

· Healthy Aging and Community Interventions – Quality of Life, Intergenerational Relations and Demographic Ageing

AFTERNOON

· Session 3 – Strategic Communication and Stakeholder Engagement for High‑Impact Projects

· Session 4 – From Risks to Results: anticipating risks and mitigation strategies and building Quality‑Driven Project

· Active session

AFTERNOON

· Session 7 – Aligning Research with Global Agendas: Responding to the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 in Grant Applications

· Session 8 – Grant Templates in Practice: Turning Healthy Aging Ideas into Fundable Proposals

· Active session

AFTERNOON

· Presentations and discussions about each collaborative project that emerged from group work

· Closing

For inquiries, please reach out to


Let’s Build the Future – Together!

Healthy aging is not just a communities’ challenge – they’re societal imperatives. By collaborating across disciplines and borders, we can create solutions that empower individuals, organisations, and governments to thrive in a healthy world.

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