The Live Well Collaborative: A New Model for Universities and Companies to Work Together to Meet the Needs of 50+ Consumers

Abstract

A new opportunity has emerged for universities and corporations to align in response to the global trend of countries with significant percentages of their population over the age of 50. This trend is driven by the dramatic increase in the birth rate starting in 1945 after World War II and ending in 1965 (a population commonly referred to in the United States as “baby boomers”). As they reach retirement, this age cohort has a unique expectation of a continued high quality of life in spite of the emerging health challenges they face. The boomer’s lifestyle expectation has tremendous impact on the design of new products and services in every sector of the economy. To achieve effective translational research (from laboratory to marketable products), universities and companies must integrate the qualitative innovation processes used by design fields like industrial design into the quantitative research techniques embraced by medicine and engineering. The University of Cincinnati is one of the few universities in the United States with all the necessary components in place to respond to this opportunity. P&G with global headquarters in Cincinnati is the right corporate partner to define this new university-corporate relationship.

Keywords:

• industrial design
• integrated product development
• qualitative research methods
• translational research
• user centered