UON spawns new social enterprise to improve quality of life into old age

A new social enterprise dedicated to increasing years spent living without illness and disability in older people has been launched out of the BioEnergetics Research Group (The BERG) at the University of Northampton (UON).

‘The BERG F’ is a social enterprise dedicated to improving public health by funding and supporting bioenergetics research that will deliver practical health solutions.

A key focus area for bioenergetics research is healthy ageing – improving quality-of-life in an ageing population and extending the age to which we expect to live in good health.

Co-Founder, Dr Alexander Lehner, who is Senior Lecturer of Human Nutrition at UON, commented: “Queen Elizabeth II retained her cognitive, emotional, and physical functionality past her 96th birthday, fulfilling her official duties right up to her passing. This epitomises how we as humans can age and die without years of suffering and low quality of life. Everyone should be enabled to age and die with the dignity that a productive lifetime of good health affords, and bioenergetics sits at the heart of understanding how this can be achieved.

“A dedicated investment channel was required to support this research, and a global network is required to build a research community to deliver practical health guidance in a future healthcare system that supports good health, above prolonging disability. These are the primary objectives of The BERG F.”

This year, the BERG F directors are actively engaging with NHS social value sponsors across the UK who have a specific appetite for health innovation and impact under their contracts with the NHS. The BERG F is now about to announce its first funded research project, and continues to seek and build relationships with those wanting to fund social impact and change how we approach ageing.

Dr Lehner continued: “We believe the study of bioenergetics offers the most promising means to nurture a healthier, more joyful, more productive, and more independent older population. The BERG F intends to remain at the forefront of driving this meaningful change in society.”