Vanessa secured the ERDF funding for the founding of the Awen Institute project and acted as interim Co-Director from September 2019 until March 2020.  Vanessa is now Professor in Gerontology in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland and is working with the Awen Institute as an international collaborator, pursuing opportunities to develop a translational community that will support participatory research and place older people at the centre of innovation.