"BIOAGE is collaboration between five distinguished universities and research institutes in Europe, New Zealand and Australia. The overall aim of the proposed staff exchange programme is to build, extend and strengthen sustainable collaborations between the partners so as to create a knowledge base for biomarker based research with focus on ageing.Within this aim the exchange objective is to provide researchers with: 1] an international platform to learn, train and apply novel biomarker as well as sampling techniques and methods, 2] discuss the opportunity to formulate new joint collaborative research and funding proposals and 3] the possibility to participate in large Human Biomonitoring studies and 4] international exposure and intercultural understanding.The exchange programme consists of visits ranging from 1-8 months for PhD students, postdoctoral and early career scientists and experienced researchers to enable research collaboration, access to an extended infrastructure base and the development of biomarker expertise at partner institutions.The expertise and facilities of the partners are highly complementary and the synergy lies in the combination of expertise on biomarker quality and validation, sampling techniques, clinical trials with elderly, nutrition and physical activity interventions as well in the experience of performing large international biomonitoring studies.The work plan consists of four work packages, one around management, one on biomarker validation and quality, one around invasive and non-invasive sample techniques specifically in clinical trials with elderly and one around the knowledge of planning, participating and data analysing of large human biomonitoring studies.BIOAGE contributes to the EC priorities since it uses mobility to transfer knowledge and will create a network through which European centres of excellence will be enhanced through links with researchers from the rest of the world."