The Dementia Challenge is accelerating the adoption of pathway changes and innovative diagnostic and prognostic technologies to help people and their families:
- get earlier and more accurate diagnosis of dementia
- better understand the likely trajectory of a person diagnosed with dementia
We are seeking to partner with industry and academia to identify, develop, validate, and implement clinical interventions and technological innovations for the NHS and wider social care setting. By 2029 92% of patients referred for dementia assessment will receive the results of that assessment within 18 weeks of referral.
Focus areas:
- earlier and more accurate diagnosis of dementia through changes to clinical pathways and advanced diagnostic technologies.
- a better understanding of the stage of the disease at the point of diagnosis
- a better understanding of individual trajectories of dementia to allow people to access support, plan and benefit from emerging treatments
- faster take up of pathway changes and technological innovations across the NHS
By achieving these aims we would expect people to live a better quality of life for longer with a dementia diagnosis, and to reduce the burden of dementia on acute services within the NHS.
Early and accurate diagnosis offers a wide range of benefits for both individuals and the wider health and care system. These include:
- improved understanding of symptoms
- greater independence
- access to appropriate treatments and interventions (including those most effective in early stages of dementia)
- opportunities to participate in clinical trials
- ability to plan for the future
Early and accurate diagnosis can also reduce the likelihood of emergency hospital admissions, delay the need for more intensive care support, and lower long-term system costs.
Objectives
Our objectives are to:
- identify pathway changes or innovative diagnostic and prognostic technologies for evaluation in real-world settings across the NHS by September 2026
- complete evaluations of the identified pathway changes or innovative diagnostic and prognostic technologies in real-world settings across the NHS by March 2029
- by the end of 2029 to see at least two of these pathway changes or innovative diagnostic and prognostic technologies introduced for routine use in clinical settings in the NHS
How we will do it
We will fund real world studies to evaluate clinical interventions and technological innovations that can reduce the time from referral to receiving the results of the assessment. The funding will close any evidence gaps and evaluate the pathway changes and innovations within real-world settings in the NHS.
Progress to date
The Dementia Challenge has established close working relationships with key stakeholders, including academic researchers, clinicians, regulators and market access specialists, the Health Innovation Networks, government departments, people living with dementia, their carers and families.
In 2026 we invited expressions of interest from academic researchers, clinicians and industry to seek clinical interventions and technological innovations that had the potential to contribute to the goals of the Dementia Challenge.
We received more than 80 expressions of interest, of which 37 met the strict eligibility criteria set by the Challenge. These were invited to submit a formal application for review and a total of 27 were received.
Selected applications will start real-world evaluation in the NHS after being assessed by an expert panel. The final selection will be made by mid-August 2026 and evaluations will begin in the first three months of 2027.
Ask a question about the NHS Fit for the Future mission
We welcome enquiries from anyone interested in contributing to or learning more about this initiative.
Email the Fit for the Future Delivery Mission Team: healthmission@mrc.ukri.org
Last updated: 23 July 2026