In many societies, rising life expectancy is not accompanied to the same extent by a corresponding increase in healthy years of life. This places a considerable burden on both individuals and healthcare systems. The SHAPE (Shared Healthy Ageing Perceptions and Expectations) project investigates how healthy ageing can be promoted from an intercultural and intergenerational perspective. The focus is on perceptions of ageing and their influence on individual behavior and systemic expectations.
"The project aims to identify local and global barriers and factors that promote healthy ageing and to derive recommendations for action for policymakers and the healthcare system", says Prof. Dr. Michael Lauerer, Professor of Medical Management and Health Sciences.
His Australian colleague, Prof. Joy Parkinson, Deputy Dean of Research and Enterprise at ACU, adds: "The project addresses a key research gap in the field of healthy ageing through a person-centred approach. The aim is to develop a validated, scalable instrument for assessing perceptions of healthy ageing that can be adapted for other population groups."
Subsequently, gaps in health care systems as well as specific needs in different contexts can be identified and a deeper understanding of motivators and barriers for behaviors which are beneficial for healthy ageing can be generated. The expected results will be prepared for relevant stakeholders in politics and healthcare.
The project, which is being carried out in collaboration with the Australian Catholic University (ACU), is funded as part of a Seed Grant by the Queensland-Bavaria Collaborative Research Grant Program through the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science, and Innovation (DETSI) in Queensland and the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts (StMWK). The University of Bayreuth will receive €10,000 for this project, while the Australian Catholic University will receive AUD 8,000. The Seed Grant primarily aims to foster international collaboration between researchers from the two countries, thereby laying the groundwork for the development of larger-scale projects.
The project has been running since October 15, 2025, and is scheduled to last for one year. In February 2026, researchers from the University of Bayreuth will travel to Queensland to conduct workshops with citizens together with their colleagues from ACU and, based on these, develop a questionnaire on healthy ageing. A return visit to Bayreuth is planned for June 2026.
