Hevolution Foundation announces $40M research grants at Global Healthspan Summit

Hevolution Foundation demonstrated its commitment to driving breakthrough aging science with further announcements of catalytic funding initiatives at the inaugural Global Healthspan Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Summit brought together over 120 distinguished speakers and nearly 2000 delegates to participate in action-oriented conversations designed to foster a healthier aging future.

Who got the money?

To further drive scientific research in healthspan, Hevolution announced $40 million (SAR 150 million), including:

• $21 million (SAR 79 million) for a novel multi-year partnership with the Buck Institute for Research on Aging to accelerate discoveries toward therapeutic interventions specifically targeting aging.
• $16 million (SAR 60 million) to expand the New Investigator Awards program in Aging Biology and Geroscience to support early-career researchers through the American Federation of Aging Research. First launched in 2022, recipients of these awards are working to deepen knowledge of aging biology to promote healthier aging.
• $5 million (SAR 18 million) to support up to 15 postdoctoral fellowships to advance the careers of early-stage scientists in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region in the fields of aging biology and geroscience.

These initiatives follow Hevolution's announcement of a $40 million (SAR 150 million) anchor contribution to the largest XPRIZE in history and $10 million (SAR 37.5 million) for the launch of a novel Breakthrough Innovation Alliance.

On the record

"Helping fast track and support impactful healthspan science programs is a founding principle for us," said Hevolution Foundation CEO Dr. Mehmood Khan. "Through collaborative partnerships, we are catalyzing the incredible potential in the aging biology field and paving the way for new solutions to improve healthspan for all."

"As a Saudi scientist, I am enormously proud of how the Global Healthspan Summit has brought such diversity of thinking together in the Kingdom. It has forged new channels and connections that will shape and catalyze the healthspan sector for the benefit of all," added Her Royal Highness Dr. Haya Khaled Al Saud, Hevolution Foundation Vice President of Organizational Strategy and Development. "This is a launchpad for a stronger, more engaged, and action-oriented global collaboration that will encourage the world's best minds to work together to solve the universal challenge of unhealthy aging."

The context

The Global Healthspan Summit comes at a pivotal time as the world is undergoing a rapid population shift. By 2050, the global population over 60 years old is set to double to 2 billion people. Moreover, two-thirds of people over 60 will live in low- and middle-income countries. Global collaboration in healthspan is no longer an option; it has become a health and socioeconomic imperative. Opportunities for experts to come together across disciplines and geographies, such as at the Global Healthspan Summit, are essential for meeting the universal challenge of unhealthy aging.