A major new funding opportunity has launched to extend our knowledge so that individuals, employers and the wider economy can continue to benefit from the skills and experience of older disabled workers and workers with long-term health conditions.
The Nuffield Foundation is making a total of £5.5 million available through Extending healthier working lives across two funding rounds, with individual grants of up to £750,000. Applications are invited from researchers and partners including employers, employment support providers, people with lived experience, and health professionals for projects that will:
- Expand what we know about delivering and scaling effective support; or
- Produce new insights that can inform action
The focus is on people over 50 with long-term health conditions or disabled people who want to remain in, or return to, work. We particularly welcome proposals centred on the needs of people at greater risk of poor health, leaving the workforce early, and financial disadvantage.
Older workers bring valuable skills and experience to the workplace, and good-quality work helps people to continue earning, maintain their living standards and build their pension. However, long-term health conditions and disability can make it harder to keep working, particularly if appropriate support is not available.
In 2024/5, 2.8 million working-age people were economically inactive due to long-term sickness, putting many at risk of financial hardship. Over half were aged between 50 and 64.
The funding is drawn from our Oliver Bird Fund, in partnership with Arthritis UK who will provide up to £500,000 to support projects with a focus on musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions.
Dr Catherine Dennison, Programme Head at the Nuffield Foundation, said: “We’re all expected to work for longer, but too many of us over 50 find it hard to stay in employment because of long-term health problems, with serious consequences for our finances, well-being and the wider economy. This funding will build stronger evidence to support and scale solutions that enable more people to stay healthy and in good-quality work for longer.”
Deborah Alsina MBE, Chief Executive at Arthritis UK said: “With over 27 million working days lost each year in the UK due to MSK conditions, it’s clear we need to do more to help people stay well at work.
“That’s why we’re really pleased to be partnering with the Nuffield Foundation to support research into how people over 50 can have healthier working lives. Half of people with arthritis have told us their condition impacts their ability to work, and of these, 39% have stopped working because of it. Without better support, we risk losing invaluable knowledge, skills and experience from our workforce. Helping people with arthritis and other long-term health conditions stay in employment or return to work that suits them would make a real difference to their lives and benefit the wider economy.”
The deadline for first-round outline applications is 14 January 2027. We will also accept applications in summer 2027, with exact dates to be announced.
