Challenge Works has partnered the London School of Economics (LSE) to help evaluate the five finalist technologies in the Longitude Prize on Dementia.
The Longitude Prize on Dementia is a £4.4m prize funded by Alzheimer’s Society and Innovate UK and delivered by Challenge Works.
The prize announced 24 semi-finalists in June 2023, each receiving £80,000 and a package of expert support. Five finalists were selected in October 2024, ranging from high-tech specs to help people recognise objects to football pitch sensor technology applied to predict and prevent falls.
The finalists have each received a further £300k and a package of expert support. They will have until November 2025 to develop their products before a winner is announced in early 2026 and awarded the £1m grand prize.
The research, which has been funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, will see academics from CPEC, LSE working alongside Challenge Works to evaluate the products. The specialists in health and social care will assess the success of the technologies and provide independent expert analysis to inform the discussions and decisions of the Lived-Experience Advisory Panel – a group of people who have lived experience of dementia including people living with dementia, carers and former carers – and the Judging Panel when selecting the £1m prize winner.
The LSE team will produce a series of reports detailing each of the five finalists’ products, including the development process and use of co-design. It will include examination of the effects of the finalist technologies on the quality of life for people living with dementia and determine which, if any, additional resources are needed to improve the products. The report will be published in late 2025.
Martin Knapp, professor of health and social care policy at LSE, will oversee the evaluation and will be supported by colleagues including Juliette Malley, associate professorial research fellow at CPEC, Chiara De Poli, and Valentina Zigante, both research officers at CPEC.
Caroline Purslow, head of global health, Challenge Works said: “These five groundbreaking technologies have been designed to help people living with dementia maintain independence in their home and continue their day-to-day activities. The researchers supporting the prize have significant experience in advanced, evidence-based methods for measuring the impact of health and social care-focused technologies. Their input to the prize and assessment of the solutions will be crucial.”
Martin Knapp, professor of health and social care policy, LSE said: “Advanced assistive technology holds immense potential in revolutionising the lives of people with dementia. Using the best possible evaluation process for this prize, in collaboration with colleagues at Challenge Works and the finalists themselves, we can help ensure these products can make a real difference.”
