McMaster Institute for Research on Aging

Name

McMaster Institute for Research on Aging

Legal name

McMaster University Institute for Research on Aging

Website

https://mira.mcmaster.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Institute (Aging Research)

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

University- or College-Affiliated Senior Learning Programs (EDAAAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Continuing Care at Home (CCaH) / Virtual CCRC Programs (HLADAEAH), Elder Services & Aging Support (BPAGAEAF), Community & Senior Center Lifelong Learning Programs (EDAAAMAB), Senior Social Clubs & Community-Based Day Programs (Non-Clinical) (HSABANAK)

Keywords

• Aging research institute
• Longitudinal health studies
• Community-engaged research
• Age-tech innovation
• Gerontology research

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamilton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Grant Funding: MIRA receives substantial funding from Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and other federal research councils for aging research programs and initiatives.
2. Philanthropic Support: Major philanthropic contributions from donors including Suzanne Labarge ($20 million recent gift, totaling over $62 million in total support) support research chairs, scholarships, and initiatives.
3. Institutional Support: Core funding and support from McMaster University for operating the research institute and facilitating interdisciplinary aging research.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

MIRA is a non-profit academic research institute that conducts interdisciplinary research on aging, operates national longitudinal research platforms (e.g., CLSA), and runs community engagement programs supporting older adults. Its outputs include research findings, evidence-based healthy aging resources, training programs, and technology-enabled interventions for mobility, aging in place, and chronic disease management, delivered through McMaster University with no commercial sale.

Product overview

McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA) is a research institute, not a product company. Its offerings consist of research platforms, programs, and knowledge resources rather than commercial products. The core platforms include VOICE (community engagement platform), McMaster Optimal Aging Portal (evidence-based information), Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (national research platform with 50,000+ participants), and MIRA-iGeN (intergenerational research platform). MIRA operates through two focused research centres: the Labarge Centre for Mobility in Aging and the MIRA | Dixon Hall Centre. Major research programs include MacM3 (mobility monitoring), PACIFIC (frailty intervention using ICT), EMBOLDEN (digital inclusion for mobility), and BRAID Hub (brain health knowledge mobilization). Additional offerings include the Suzanne Labarge Lecture in Aging series and the MIRA | envisAGE Beachhead initiative for age tech innovation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Labarge Centre for Mobility in Aging (LCMA): Research centre examining factors affecting mobility in older adults
• MIRA | Dixon Hall Centre
• VOICE
• McMaster Optimal Aging Portal
• MIRA-iGeN

Products and services

• VOICE Community platform where older adults contribute their lived experiences to help identify research priorities and unmet needs, with community members involved in all stages of the research cycle.
• McMaster Optimal Aging Portal Evidence-based information portal providing easy-to-understand content on healthy aging for the general public.
• Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) Large national research platform of more than 50,000 individuals aged 45-85 at recruitment, following participants for 20 years to study biological, medical, psychological, social, lifestyle and economic aspects of aging.
• MIRA-iGeN (Intergenerational Study on Aging) Platform for understanding aging and health across generations of families.
• Labarge Centre for Mobility in Aging (LCMA) Research centre examining biological, behavioural, technological and environmental factors affecting individual and community mobility in older adults.
• MIRA | Dixon Hall Centre Research centre formed in partnership with Dixon Hall multi-service agency, enhancing research with and services for older adults living in the community.
• MacM3 (McMaster Monitoring My Mobility) Major research program using advanced technological approaches to understand early changes in older peoples' mobility and develop a 'mobility signature' tool for early detection and intervention.
• PACIFIC (Post-Acute Care Intervention for Frailty using ICT) Major program of research co-designing a community-based intervention to support people at risk of or living with frailty when discharged from hospital, leveraging community resources and digital tools.
• EMBOLDEN (Enhancing Mobility and Participation for Older Adult Wellness through Digital Inclusion) Trial co-designing an innovative community-based intervention targeting physical and community mobility, nutrition, social participation, and system navigation for older adults with health inequalities.
• BRAID Hub (Brain Health Resources and Integrated Diversity) Knowledge mobilization hub integrating education and resources informed by two-way exchange between researchers and knowledge users to move evidence-based guidelines into practice.
• Suzanne Labarge Lecture in Aging Annual lecture series bringing together researchers and community members to share knowledge about aging, featuring distinguished speakers on brain health and mobility.
• MIRA | envisAGE Beachhead National network accelerating development and adoption of technologies supporting aging in place, connecting industry innovators with academic researchers.

Quantifiable outcome

• CLSA follows 51,338+ participants aged 45-85 for 20 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability14 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Stay at Home Nursing (SAHN) & CHAHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026Homecare provider partnership evaluating AI-enabled predictive monitoring system (CHAH AI Care) to detect falls, infections, and adverse events early, with the goal of reducing hospitalizations and enabling aging in place.
• Easy Aging & Thriving.aisecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026Industry partners collaborating with MIRA to design and test customized technology packages including tools for communication, daily routines, health tracking, and environmental monitoring to support older adult independence.
• Vyta—Powered by Bayshore HealthCarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 January 2025Pioneering collaboration announced with Vyta, a Bayshore HealthCare initiative, to advance aging in place technologies and services.
• Dixon HallcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Dixon Hall is a multi-service agency serving more than 10,000 people annually. MIRA partnered with Dixon Hall to form the MIRA | Dixon Hall Centre, enhancing research with and for older adults living in the community through co-designed interventions and community engagement.
• AGE-WELLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAGE-WELL is Canada's national research and innovation network driving technology and service development for older adults. MIRA collaborates with AGE-WELL on postdoctoral fellowships, research projects, and the VOICE platform, with AGE-WELL joining as a strategic partner to advance Voice Canada's national and global reach.
• VoicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVoice is a community of older adults, caregivers, and public members who contribute lived experiences to help identify research priorities and unmet needs. The National Innovation Centre Ageing in the UK hosts the Voice model. MIRA leads Voice Canada, with University of Manitoba joining to strengthen community-enabled aging research nationally.
• Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLSA is Canada's largest national study on health and aging, following 51,338 participants aged 45-85 for 20 years. MIRA's Parminder Raina is the lead principal investigator of CLSA, and MIRA leverages CLSA data extensively for research programs.
• Gilbrea Centre for Studies in AgingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBased within McMaster's Faculty of Social Sciences, Gilbrea Centre serves as an interdisciplinary hub linking research, education, policy and practice on aging with local, national and global initiatives to improve lives of older adults.
• Physical Activity Centre of Excellence (PACE)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPACE is McMaster's specialized exercise and rehabilitation centre for seniors, people undergoing cardiac rehabilitation, cancer patients, and people with MS or spinal cord injuries, staffed by over 200 students and health professionals.
• LIVELabsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIVELab is a 106-seat research performance space at McMaster with advanced technology (EEG, motion capture, active acoustics) for studying human interaction, enabling research on aging and movement through creative performance.
• Smart Mobility for the Aging Population (SMAP)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSERC-funded CREATE program, a multi-university, multi-disciplinary training environment centered around technologies and best practices for smart mobility for the aging population.
• National Innovation Centre Ageing (UK)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading UK organization for co-developing and marketing products and services supporting longer, better lives. Home to the Voice model that MIRA adapted for Voice Canada.
• South East Technological University (SETU)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology university in southeast of Ireland collaborating with MIRA on Design Thinking in aging research initiatives.
• Global Nexus School for Pandemic Prevention & ResponsesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld-leading pandemic prevention center attracting interdisciplinary scholars working with community members, Indigenous leaders, policy experts, public health officials, and industry on impactful measures.
• Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research (IIDR)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld-leading centre of interdisciplinary infectious disease research bringing together over 40 principal investigators and 2000 trainees to deliver new knowledge on infections impacting health.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AGE-WELL Network: Canada's federal Networks of Centres of Excellence focused on technology and aging. AGE-WELL operates a national aging-tech research network with postdoctoral fellowships and an industry-academic interface — directly comparable to MIRA's AgeTech mandate, including overlapping partnership scope (MIRA is an AGE-WELL partner).
• Baycrest / Rotman Research Institute: Toronto-based academic health sciences center specializing in aging and brain health research, including the Rotman Research Institute. Closely comparable to MIRA in mission (interdisciplinary aging research, brain health, mobility), Canadian geographic focus, and university-affiliated research scale.
• Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI): Baycrest-affiliated innovation center accelerating aging and brain health solutions through partnerships with healthcare organizations, industry, and researchers. Comparable to MIRA in bridging academic research with industry implementation for older-adult populations, with overlap in aging-tech evaluation.
• Stanford Center on Longevity: Stanford University-based interdisciplinary research center focused on aging population challenges across health, financial security, and social engagement. Comparable to MIRA in operating as a university-affiliated interdisciplinary aging research hub combining thought leadership, research, and policy translation.
• MIT AgeLab: MIT-affiliated research lab focused on technology and aging, with emphasis on mobility, transportation, and smart home systems for older adults. Directly comparable to MIRA in its applied technology focus, university affiliation, and research programs on mobility, aging in place, and wearable/sensor analytics.
• Oregon Center for Aging and Technology (ORCATECH): OHSU-affiliated research center deploying continuous in-home sensing technology to study aging, cognitive decline, and health outcomes in older adults. Comparable to MIRA's smart home and CHAH AI Care work in using AI/sensor platforms for aging-in-place research and longitudinal data collection.

Broad incumbents

• National Institute on Aging (NIA / NIH): U.S. federal government's primary aging research agency, funding large-scale programs on Alzheimer's, mobility, and longevity. Comparable in mission scope (interdisciplinary aging research, training, and clinical translation), but operates at much larger scale as a federal funding and research body.
• AARP: U.S.-based nonprofit advocating for adults 50+ with a large research and policy arm producing population-level aging reports. Comparable to MIRA's McMaster Optimal Aging Portal in producing evidence-based public information on aging, though AARP operates at significantly broader policy and member-service scale.
• International Federation on Ageing: Global NGO focused on aging policy, research dissemination, and advocacy across multiple countries. Comparable to MIRA's policy translation and community engagement mission, but with broader international scope rather than a research-institute operational focus.

Emerging players

• Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI): Trinity College Dublin and UCSF-affiliated training and research program on brain health and dementia in aging populations. Comparable to MIRA's BRAID Hub and brain health research portfolio, but with a narrower focus on brain health specifically rather than MIRA's broader interdisciplinary aging mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/miramcmaster
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCIdUxE4ryjg6rjWWRh9y2Tg
• Facebookfacebook.com/MIRAMcMaster
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/miramcmaster

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about McMaster Institute for Research on Aging