External Partners

MIRA engaged with the following external partners in 2021

MIRA has established a partnership with Newcastle University’s National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA) to share knowledge, experiences and research ideas in the aging space. An important aspect for the partnership will be MIRA’s membership in the VOICE digital platform, which will facilitate, coordinate and manage citizen involvement and engagement activities in MIRA’s activities. This platform will enable citizen based research and extend MIRA’s reach by creating and connecting international citizens and communities.

MIRA formalized its partnership with Toronto’s Dixon Hall, and with the generous gift of Suzanne Labarge, established the MIRA | Dixon Hall Centre to support research to help improve the lives of marginalized and at-risk older adults. MIRA and Dixon Hall are actively collaborating to enhance research with, and programs and services for, older people living in Toronto who are facing housing insecurity, barriers to transportation and transitions in care, such as hospital-tohome and end-of-life.

In May 2021 MIRA hosted the CIHR Institute of Aging Summer Program in Aging (SPA) on the topic of Longitudinal Studies in Aging: Understanding Health Span and Longevity. MIRA collaborated with the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) Institute for Aging to host this flagship training program virtually for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Close to 60 Canadian and international trainees participated in this event to advance their understanding of health span and longevity across disciplines. The event brings together trainees, researchers and members of the public and private sector from Canada and abroad. MIRA developed an additional 16 partnerships (13 with external partners) through sponsorship and participation in this training. Through these partnerships, MIRA exposed trainees to key organizations and businesses in aging — advancing trainees’ knowledge and providing opportunities for them to apply their skills in aging, population health, longitudinal research data harmonization and data linkage, as well as exposing them to future employment opportunities.

To stimulate investment in aging research in Canada, MIRA joined the international alliance between the Northern Health Science Alliance and the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation, along with its Canadian partners: Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research; AGE-WELL Network of Centres of Excellence; University of Waterloo; and Simon Fraser University STAR Institute. In 2020 an MoU between these partners was established to work together to

drive knowledge exchange and innovation in healthy aging. The group meets online regularly to disseminate information and collaborate on international funding opportunities. Through this network, MIRA established a partnership with Lancaster University to develop an international partnership for Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) through exchange opportunities for visiting scholars, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. Due to COVID-19 this has not come to fruition yet. However, MIRA is engaged with Lancaster to develop a funding application to the UK Research and Innovation’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. If funded, this project would establish international research collaborations to address key issues at the intersection of housing, social care and health — specifically focusing on transforming care and health at home and enabling independence.

MIRA also continues a collaboration with Dr. Andrew Clegg from Leeds University. Through this collaboration MIRA is developing a major research initiative by bringing together an interdisciplinary and international team that will investigate Complex Interventions for Frailty and Aging Well.

MIRA is developing a partnership with the University of Birmingham to explore holding a one-day event that coincides with the Canada stop in Hamilton of the Queen’s Batton Relay (QBR) in advance of the Commonwealth Games hosted by Birmingham in 2022. The symposium will focus on themes of healthy aging, physical activity and the intersection with our diverse communities.

The Institute of Technology Carlow actively supported MIRA in the development of the MIRA Idea Exchange webinar series by applying codesign and design thinking principles to each session. The MIRA Idea Exchange was implemented in the summer of 2020 to help researchers adapt their work to COVID-19. This work has resulted in a publication: “What are the needs of Interdisciplinary Researchers in Aging in the COVID-19 Era?” in the Tuning Journal for Higher Education (in press).

MIRA continues its partnership with AGE-WELL and the Canadian Frailty Network to support trainees whose interests align with both organizations.