VOICE, stands for “Valuing Our IntellectualCapital and Experience” and the community was established 15 years ago to harness the immense wisdom, knowledge, ideas, insights and experience of members of the public. Over this time it has meaningfully involved them in opportunities to inform research and innovation for healthy ageing and longevity.  

It’s an experience valued by those who are part of VOICE as Gill explains: “This gives me purpose – I have lived a lot of life, and have learnt a lot - VOICE links me to so many different opportunities to share this – and I love the social side too – I really do feel this experience is valued and I am doing my bit to help improve the future”.  

VOICE members take part over 250 workshops, surveys and events every year - sharing their stories, giving feedback on the end-to-end experience and analyse overall data feedback to improve the solution and business model further with practical advice on products and services – co-designing with researchers and co-innovating with businesses, and helping researchers and businesses to understand different needs and market opportunities and facilitating an international conversation on what is both needed and possible for healthy longevity. 

Citizens are at the centre of everything we do

The insights from VOICE members can help transform business practice and inform developments as Michelle Tierney, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder of SymPhysis Medical explains: “As a result of working with VOICE, the feedback we got both validated our design direction in terms of was it going to be as user friendly for our end patient population as we needed it to be? But also, feedback we got has resulted in us improving on the design as well.”

Professor Lynne Corner, Director of VOICE said: “We recognise that many people have a lifetime of lived experience but also professional experience, and we unlock this largely untapped pool of talent and expertise, to capture this incredible individual and collective capability. VOICE is a wonderful thriving community of people who want to and do contribute, and are eager to see change. They are changing the narrative on healthy ageing, delivering significant impact every day – we massively value that as do the businesses and researchers we work with and we look forward to the next 15 years!”   

VOICE is embedded in the UK National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA), and is a key part of the strategic approach of Ageing Intelligence - helping new and existing investors to get rapidly up to speed with evidence about ‘what is known’, whilst also signalling future trends and market gaps, building knowledge and giving confidence about ‘known unknowns’, given this is a rapidly evolving market.   

Professor Corner explains: “We really understand healthy ageing – we are constantly listening to people, empathising with their challenges, and identifying what really matters to people? What do they value? What do they care about, now and in the future?”

VOICE began as a regional network and has grown and developed to become an internationally trusted brand and approach. This continues at pace with continued expansion in the UK and internationally with communities being established in the US and Canada, in China, Singapore,Taiwan and Italy.   

Nic Palmarini, Director at the National Innovation Centre for Ageing added: “We are celebrating 15 years of VOICE at a time when citizens and consumers are increasingly discerning, open to exploring new models and wanting to look beyond the existing provision. There are huge numbers of people who are looking for innovative services and products for navigating through the different stages in life but expect more of them, seeking meaningful experiences where joy, engagement, and self-fulfilment are not optional, but a requirement. We know that public and private organization are already grasping the opportunities for meaningful growth where return on investment is doubled by return on society, and we at VOICE and NICA are alongside them on this journey - millions of lives across the globe can and will be transformed for people to enjoy healthy longevity and fulfilling lives with purpose.”     

If you are interested in becoming a member of VOICE and making a contribution to forming research and developing innovations you can register here. 

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