No man is an island, as the poets say. The same is true of scientific research, including in the field of longevity. One brilliant person may have a concept and even oversee it to fruition, but to navigate through funding and peer review and spread it to the public requires armies of individuals collaborating together. Occasions like the first Global Health Summit (https://longevity.technology/news/inaugural-global-healthspan-summit-set-to-accelerate-scientific-progress-for-a-rapidly-aging-world/) provide an opportunity to share ideas and change minds.
This particular summit is the brainchild of a non-profit called the Hevolution Foundation, which operates all around the world in its quest to improve the human healthspan, or how long we can live healthily. Yes, people may be reaching ages they haven’t before, but that’s no good if their body and mind deteriorate at the same time. There’s a big push to recognize this underappreciated corner of the market, including the massive savings in healthcare costs and improvements in productivity that could result. Estimates suggest that just a one-year increase in healthy lifespan could be worth $40 trillion. Yes, you read that right.
Hevolution’s Vice President of Organizational Strategy and Development, Her Royal Highness Dr. Haya Khaled Al Saud, set the tone when she explained: “The Global Healthspan Summit will bring together the ideas, connections, and real-world actions needed to catalyze a healthier aging experience for all.”
It’s not just Hevolution. The people gathering in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the summit come from ten different countries. There will be 100 different speakers and as many as 1000 attendees all together. They’re united by the realization that healthspan is only going to gain even more importance as people live longer, and it’s going to take a global, collaborative approach to tackle the problem. It can’t just be a passive discussion; there need to be active steps taken to move forward.
There are five basic aims of the summit: promote a collaborative platform, shift attention from lifespan to healthspan, exchange knowledge to encourage research, connect investors and entrepreneurs, and encourage innovation from both new and established figures.
As for Hevolution itself, its own success shows that the healthspan movement is progressing. Not only has it spread more than $200 million around the world for healthspan research and development, but it has also established a Boston-based team in Massachusetts to find and short list more companies where its investment could do some good.
