Dr Giulia De Togni, Chancellor’s Fellow at the Usher Institute, has secured a prestigious Wellcome Career Development Award worth £1.8 million. Starting in 2027, the six-year project, Innovating with Care: A Comparative Ethnography of Lived Experiences with Assistive Technologies and Evolving Practices of Care, will explore how assistive technologies impact the lives of people living with neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Parkinson’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis, and those who care for them.Through comparative ethnographic research in Japan, South Korea, Italy and the UK, the qualitative study will examine how technologies influence experiences of health, care and ageing in four rapidly ageing societies where assistive technology innovation is a national priority. Working closely with people living with neurodegenerative conditions, carers and technology developers, the project will investigate not only how technologies are used in everyday life, but also how values and practices of care can be embedded in their design and development.The research aims to advance scholarship in the social studies of science and medicine while informing more responsible and inclusive approaches to innovation. By developing new conceptual tools and methodologies for user engagement, the project will provide practical guidance for researchers, developers and policymakers. I am delighted to receive this Wellcome Career Development Award. The project will explore how assistive technologies shape - and are shaped by - experiences of health, care and ageing across different cultural and healthcare contexts. By working closely with people living with neurodegenerative disorders, carers and technology developers, we hope to generate new insights that support more responsible and inclusive approaches to innovation. Dr Giulia De Togni Chancellor’s Fellow, Usher Institute The Wellcome Career Development Award supports mid-career researchers to establish ambitious programmes of work that advance understanding of human life, health and wellbeing while developing their research leadership and independence. Further information Giulia De Togni | The University of Edinburgh Early-Career Awards – Funding for Early-Career Researchers | Research Funding | Wellcome This article was published on Friday 19 June 2026
