Dementia Network Plus

Four new research networks, backed by £5.25 million from UK funders, will tackle dementia from prevention to workforce support. The Sustainable Prevention, Innovation and Involvement Network (SPINNET), co-led by University College London and the University of Exeter, is one of these networks, each receiving between £1.25 million and £1.75 million. This matters because dementia affects nearly one million people in the UK, yet research often focuses narrowly on treatment rather than the broader social and systemic factors that shape risk, diagnosis, and care. The networks target three critical gaps: why dementia disproportionately affects certain groups (inequalities), how to spot it earlier and prevent it, and how to support the healthcare workforce that manages it. If successful, these networks could shift how dementia is approached across the UK. Instead of isolated studies, they will fund new projects and community engagement that connect researchers, clinicians, and people living with dementia. The practical payoff could be more equitable access to prevention programmes, earlier diagnoses in underserved communities, and better working conditions for care staff—changes that quietly reshape how the health system handles a growing, costly condition.