December 10, 2025

NEAR Receives NordForsk Grant for Nordic Research Infrastructure Hubs

We are excited to share that NordForsk has awarded NEAR 5,515,823 SEK for the NEXT-NORD project: NEXT Generation Transdisciplinary Aging Research for Nordic Excellence, for 2026−2031.

Why this matters
The Nordic countries are uniquely positioned to lead globally in aging research, thanks to decades of high-quality, population-based studies, which can be linked to registers. However, much of this potential remains untapped because datasets and networks are fragmented and confined within national borders.

NEXT-NORD aims
To increase the scientific and societal value of population-based observational data in aging research by improving its comparability, usability, and coordinated use across the Nordic region. Rather than conducting research directly, NEXT-NORD will focus on:

• Facilitating cross-border dialogue on data and governance
• Promoting interdisciplinary exchange and cross-country networks
• ​​​​​​​Coordinate data harmonization and integration efforts
• Supporting early-career researchers through mobility and training

In addition to NEAR and Karolinska Institutet (KI), the project partners are leading academic and research institutions across the Nordic region with complementary expertise in aging research, public health, biomedicine, social sciences, epidemiology, and health services research. These include: 1) University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Denmark; 2) The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), Norway; 3) University of Eastern Finland (UEF), Finland; and 4) Icelandic Heart Association (IHA), Iceland.

Debora Rizzuto, Director of NEAR and Principal Investigator of NEXT-NORD, expresses her satisfaction and states:

“The long-term vision of NEXT-NORD is to build a sustainable, integrated Nordic infrastructure for aging research that enables cross-country comparisons, pooled analyses, and transdisciplinary solutions to aging-related challenges. By building capacity, strengthening collaboration, and developing shared tools and expertise, this initiative positions the Nordic region as a global leader in aging research and fosters long-term partnerships for impactful science”.

Debora Rizzuto, Director of NEAR. Photo: Maria Yohuang