The rector of the University of Barcelona, Joan Elias, and the president of Mutualidad Abogacía Foundation, Enrique Sanz Fernández-Lomana, signed a collaboration agreement from which results the Chair UB – Escuela del Pensamiento Mutualidad Abogacia Foundation on the Economics of Ageing. The new chair, to be led by the dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business of the UB, Ramon Alemany, aims to promote research, rigorous and scientific debate and dissemination regarding populational ageing.

The growing longevity of population in Spain (and the other developed economies) shows it is necessary to promote research in the field of economics of ageing. In addition, the composition of the populational structure divided by ages, is strongly increasing in the range of people aged over 65. The new chair appears in this precise context.

The objective is to promote research in the field of populational ageing, specially in statistical analytics, and economic and actuarial analysis of phenomena related to the growing longevity of individuals, such as dignity of life in old ages; health and need for care regarding the elderly; the analysis of the bioactuarial track of someone over his or her life; mobility of old people, and demographics and ageing in deserted areas, among others.

The chair is assigned to the Research Group on Risk in Finance and Insurance (Riskcenter) of the Faculty of Economics and Business of the UB. Among other initiatives, it will organize national and international expert meetings and will cooperate with other national and international research groups. Moreover, it will support the participation of young researchers, therefore promoting the development of six doctoral theses and master’s degree final projects about its own topics of interest.

The experience of the research team of the UB in the fields of statistical, economic and actuarial modelling, and topics related to ageing and human life, joins, in this chair, the interest of the Mutualidad Abogacía Foundation in promoting the development of research projects of high interest and social impact.