The major goal of this proposal is to upgrade the research potential of research groups at the Medical University of Lodz investigating various aspects of healthy ageing and constituting already established Healthy Aging Research Centre. Major areas of research cover a wide spectrum of topics related to ageing: novel approaches to improve well being in the elderly, pathogenesis and prevention of neurodegenerative, respiratory, cardiovascular and kidney diseases of the old age and molecular basis of ageing. HARC has been conceived to upgrade and enhance MUL research capacity through several strategic objectives: 1) to reinforce and consolidate already existing cooperation between HARC and 15 European partners; 2) to stimulate innovation with properly protected intellectual rights by exchange of know-how and creating new links with industry (SMEs); 3) to develop state- of- the- art research infrastructure in synergy with the structural funds intervention; 4) to attract researchers with international experience to work in our centre; 5) to promote international knowledge exchange through workshops and conferences; 6) to promote HARC and raise the awareness of healthy ageing within the scientific community, industry and the general public; 7) to contribute to the solution of the problems of age-related comorbidities in less privileged region of Central Poland by exchanging knowledge with international experts and cooperating with regional authorities 8) to increase the participation of the HARC researchers in the EU FP7 and other activities (Joint Programming, Innovation Partnership on Healthy Ageing, ERA-Net).