This new initiative is a unique interdisciplinary and international co-operation between researchers drawn from demography, epidemiology, medicine, biology, mathematics and statistics. It will endeavor to advance innovative research to discover the basic causes and key consequences of longer and healthier lives, including also its policy implications. The program starts with a scientific symposium, offering brief insights into innovative research approaches and results in the field. It will be followed by the opening ceremony and a panel debate on the challenges of rising life expectancy on European policy.