Senior Eco-Nect

 

Senior Eco-Nect aims to connect different aspects of the silver economy with a specific focus on integrated and inclusive policy development to maximise the benefits of the silver economy for all.

‘Silver Economy’ designates the economy of the older population or the sum of all economic activities and the whole range of products and services that serve the needs of people aged 50 and over. The project consortium will work together to produce important policy outputs culminating in the publication of a Joint Action Plan and including regional SWOT analyses, Stakeholder mapping and strategy development.

 

 

The silver economy is, by nature, very fragmented because it is:

  • a transversal sector covering a range of areas (health, nutrition, sport, tourism housing, among others) each with high innovation potential;
  • it includes many types of stakeholders and organisations that don’t often meet or connect but could strongly benefit from each sharing perspectives, and
  • there is a 'deficit of Europe' (lack of homogeneity in Europe) in the silver economy with regulations and reimbursement systems that differ from country to country resulting in a fragmentation and inefficiencies across of the sector.

The overall objective of Senior Eco-Nect project is to prepare a joint action plan to support the emergence and the development of European ECOsystems dedicated to the silver and ageing ECOnomy, as well as ensuring the inclusivity and interconNECTivity between all the key innovation stakeholders of the sector and cross-sectors. The silver economy integrates solutions targeted at older people that need tailored support to grow and to experiment with the target group using a citizen-centred approach.

More precisely, the Senior Eco-Nect project aims to:

  • Support the emergence, growth, efficiency, and interconnection of at least 4 European ecosystems dedicated to the silver economy.
  • Unlock the full potential of the silver economy sector by integrating key transversal areas targeting the ageing population beyond the scope of health and care.
  • Ensure inclusiveness and interconnectivity between the key innovation players from across the quadruple helix around the sector of silver economy at the local, regional, national, and European level and beyond.
  • Increase the efficiency and innovation potential of silver economy innovators and projects by addressing key challenges and exploiting the opportunities offered by silver economy.
  • Encourage synergies and complementarities between Senior Eco-Nect Joint Action Plan and the innovation programmes of public authorities.

Six partners, representing innovation ecosystems and sectoral networks, will join forces and strategies toward the strengthening of European innovation ecosystem in the silver economy. Their effort will be supported by the engagement of 32 associated partners representing key innovation ecosystems members of the quadruple helix (industry, academia, public authorities, and civil society across Europe).

As lead partner, Eurasanté is in charge of the communication activities, the preparation of the joint Action Plan and the management of the project

The Hincks Centre will lead on the fourth project work package to deliver a report on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats within and across the partner regions and will produce a strategy document to accelerate progress in leveraging the silver economy potential.

Funded by Horizon Europe - European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE), the project kicked-off online on July 19, 2022 and will run for 24 months.

An information leaflet summarising the project and its objectives can be viewed/downloaded by clicking here.

 

Deliverables Produced

  • Senior Eco-Nect Handbook: The Handbook presents the potential opportunities and challenges of building a knowledge-based Silver Economy to proactively respond to the challenge of population ageing, based on cross-areas experience covered by the Project. June 2023.
  • Senior Eco-Nect Policy Recommendation Report: The report is based on the results of good practices from workshops and seminars with policymakers, SMEs, civil society, etc., as well as the recommendations from the handbook. It provides support for policy makers to create inclusive and sustainable long term solutions for older people in various aspects of active and healthy lives. July 2023.
  • Senior Eco-Nect Composite Regional SWOT Analyses Report: The SWOT composite report aims to provide an overview of the perceived strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats from the perspectives of varied stakeholders. September 2023.

  • Senior Eco-Nect Market Study: The market study is produced for Senior Eco-Nect project as one of the outputs, which aims to provide a complemented study of the silver economy ecosystem at the EU level. September 2023. 

  • Senior Eco-Nect Strategy Report: The strategy report provides an overview of the current standing of silver economy development in four European Ecosystems. It also investigates and explores the demands in multiple sectors in the ecosystems and indicates the essential needs of supports. The good practice cases that are selected in the report may provide audiences a view of how different stakeholders made contribution to a sustainable development of the national and regional silver economy.

  • Senior Eco-Nect Joint Action Plan: The Senior Eco-Nect project had as one of its objectives to produce a Joint Action Plan for 5 years after project’s closure. In this, Senior Eco-Nect partners affirm their willingness to commit on the long term to set-up and develop innovative ecosystems dedicated to silver economy. This commitment implies the search for additional resources, in particular funding, which will make it possible to implement this action plan.

 

Senior Eco-Nect Project News

Keep up to date with project developments, activities and events. Below are links to the Senior Eco-Nect articles as seen in the News section of our website. 

  • Partner Meeting - Work package review and upcoming activities. September 6, 2022.
  • Hincks in Slovenia - Senior Eco-Nect Project Meeting, Ljubljana, Slovenia. 16 June, 2023.

 

Senior Eco-Nect Project Newsletters

  • Issue 1: Discover the Senior Eco-Nect project and read about the successful kick-off meeting, the first ecosystem visit in Arras, France, and recent awards received by some of our partners. January 2023.
  • Issue 2: In this issue, have your say on the Silver Economy, find out about the Project's upcoming midterm event, read about the Project's second ecosystem visit in Slovenia and see what the Partners have been doing. July 2023.
  • Issue 3: Read all about the Mid-Term Event, the Project's third ecosystem visit in Spain and discover all the deliverables that were produced in the first half of the project. January 2024.
  • Issue 4: In this final issue of the Senior Eco-Nect newsletter, read about: the Senior Eco-Nect Final Summit; the Joint Action Plan; the 5-Year Road map and a very special Call to Action! June 2024.

 

If you would like to subscribe to the Senior Eco-Nect Newsletter, please visit the project website at https://www.senior-eco-nect.com/.

 

Partner Locations

 

The lead partner is Eurasanté, Loos, France with other partners:

  • Munster Technological University - Hincks Centre for Entrepreneurship Excellence, Cork, Ireland;
  • Slovensko Inovacijsko Sticisceevropsko Gospodarsko Interesnozdruzenje (SIH EEIG), (Slovenian Innovation Hub), Ljubljana, Slovenia;
  • Asociacion Cluster Saude De Galicia (CSG), Santiago de Compostela, Spain;
  • European Platform For Sports and Innovation (EPSI), Brussels, Belgium and
  • European Network for Accessible Tourism ASBL (ENAT), (Non-profit association promoting accessible tourism in the EU and worldwide), Brussels, Belgium.

 

https://www.senior-eco-nect.com/

 

 

This project has been Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor EISMEA can be held responsible for them.
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