Policymakers and the research community have an integral leadership role to foster collaborative efforts to deliver the best available science for evidence based policies and approval processes. The second Lausanne Workshop of December 2015 reviewed the policy and stakeholder actions needed to accelerate biomedical research and health innovation for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The agenda featured developments in regulatory and access pathways for potential innovations in dementia. Participants discussed the perspectives of regulators and payers, specifically the evidence and tools needed to support regulatory and payer evaluation of innovations. A particular focus was placed on the large and growing societal implications of Alzheimer’s disease and the heightened urgency to define sustainable access strategies for future diagnostics and therapies. There is consensus across all stakeholders to move from global agenda setting in Alzheimer’s disease to action oriented programmes and implementation.