06 September, 2022

A positive and productive meeting for the Senior Eco-Nect project took place online today. This is an EC funded Horizon Europe project.

 

 

A real advantage within this Senior Eco-Nect project team is the contribution of active members aged in their 80s, as well as younger team members -  a positive and diverse mix of ages.

On September 6, Munster Technological University was represented by the Hincks Centre's Dr Helen McGuirk and Dr Sarah Davis at the online partner meeting. As an ice-breaker, a novel weather-based check in gave a chance to gauge the mood of participants. With all partners checked-in, we reviewed the work packages. We have made great strides in WP1 with the consortium agreement approved and signed and with a project guide in progress with delivery of this output for the end of September 2022.

 

 

The first project visit will take place at the end of September in-person in Arras, France and final arrangements are being made to host participants. Head of the Hincks Centre, Dr Helen McGuirk will attend this meeting. An online Working Group meeting will take place on the 6th October 2022 to outline the scoping of the second work package. Hincks will then host the 3rd Working Group in MTU's Bishopstown Campus in early December, with partners voting to decide the exact date. We very much look forward to hosting our colleagues at this in-person session.

 

 

Progress has also been made on the dissemination front, with an agreed Senior Eco-Nect logo and a dissemination plan produced for the project.

Six workpackages (WP) will be developed over two years and comprise:

1. WP1 – Project Management
2. WP2 – Peer Learning Activities
3. WP3 – Stakeholder mapping and Outreach Strategy
4. WP4 – EcoSystem SWOT analyses and Strategy Building
5. WP5 – Preparation of a Joint Action Plan
6. WP6 – Communication, Dissemination & Exploitation

For the mapping exercise in WP3 we are currently exploring the use of NACE codes to establish if they will be compatible for all partners to report on their region’s senior economic ecosystem sectors and connectivity. Hincks will lead the fourth work package, that will generate 5 regional SWOT analyses of the senior economic ecosystems and will combine these to produce a SWOT analysis for the project. This combined SWOT analysis will feed into a strategy development exercise that will drive the fifth work package, to define actions and activities that will strengthen inter-sectoral links and policy for Senior Economic Ecosystem Connectivity and development.

 

 

As the early project stages are ideal for defining terms and terminology, the partners have agreed to devote time to exploring the many terms used to categorise older individuals and to identify respectful terms (and avoid those that are non-inclusive or dismissive) for use within the project and for external communications.

 

 

A timely reminder was issued that end-users for the silver economy are people and that this should not get lost within the search to reduce fragmentation and enhance the interconnectivity of the silver economy ecosystem.

 

Further information on the Senior Eco-Nect project is available here.

 

 

Senior Eco-Nect is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Horizon Europe. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.