The kick-off of the EU-funded project WE4AHA took place on 7-8 September 2017 in Stockholm. WE4AHA is a new Coordination and Support Action (CSA) for the European Innovation Partnership on Active and healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) and will continue until the end of 2020.
WE4AHA will advance the effective, large-scale uptake and impact of Digital Innovation for Active and Healthy Ageing (AHA), building on a comprehensive set of support and promotion services. Through WE4AHA’s centralised administration, coordination and external communication, the relevant stakeholders will be mobilised to help develop and implement three EU guided activities: Innovation to Market (I2M), Blueprint Digital Transformation of Health and Care for the Ageing Society, and EIP on AHA. empirica is leading the Blueprint Digital Transformation co-development and implementation within the project, one of the two priorities of the EIP on AHA.
Over the course of four years, the action will connect demand- and supply-side stakeholders through matchmaking, twinning, assessing innovative interventions, fostering engagement, and many other support activities. It will leverage additional private and public investments by mobilising a growing number of stakeholders in Europe’s digital health and care and silver economy sectors – industry, public authorities, end users, financial institutions, investors, insurers, and research communities committed to innovate on a large scale.
In WE4AHA empirica is responsible for the further development of the Blueprint, driving policy vision on digital innovation and consolidating the EIP on AHA Action Groups and Reference Sites. This will begin with a Call for Engagement of diverse stakeholders, including the initial champions. A review of ICT enabling technologies will be conducted in order to identify Blueprint user scenarios prioritised based on their socio-economic impact. The high impact of the scenarios will be measured using the MAFEIP tool in terms of affected population and potential for cost savings. Stakeholders will contribute significantly to the development of the Blueprint and will be consulted through surveys and focus groups in particular. The engaged stakeholders will be continuously asked to validate project results and contribute to updating the Blueprint vision.
The highly interdisciplinary consortium will ensure the proper execution of the work plan by leveraging the partners’ access to expertise and evidence. The consortium composition is an unparalleled matching of partners with strategic competences in health and active ageing and leading experts in policy analysis, research and innovation oriented to business, ICT enabling technologies, stakeholder engagement, communication, dissemination and the multiplier effect. Additional support is provided through a pool of experts and an Advisory Board of key stakeholder organisations with high-level competences in relevant fields.
Partners: FUNKA NU (coordinator), EMPIRICA, OPEN EVIDENCE, ERRIN, EHTEL, RSCN, AGE PLATFORM, TICBIOMED, ECHALLIANCE
CORDIS website: http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/211372_en.html
