Kick-off of the H2020 CSA project IN-4-AHA : a result of joining the dots back in 2017

Last February 9th took place the kick- off meeting of the IN-4-AHA scaling-up innovation in active and healthy ageing project, in which Gisela Garcia – Alvarez, Managing Director of the Galician Health Cluster, CSG, highlighted how clusters and DIHs can act as important actors in health and social care ecosystems.

The EU-funded IN-4-AHA project will build on the achievements and legacy of the EIP on AHA ecosystem to further enhance the uptake of digital innovations in active and healthy ageing. The main outcome of the IN-4-AHA project is an innovation scale-up model that is validated by stakeholders and complemented by a clear implementation roadmap, an innovation impact evaluation toolkit and a strategy for long-term investments.

With a total budget of € 1 958 137,51, the project will be implemented by a consortium of 9 partners coming from 6 EU countries with different and complementary backgrounds. IN 4-AHA is coordinated by TEHNOPOL SCIENCE AND BUSINESS PARK.

Consortium partners

• EIT HEALTH SCANDINAVIAN CLC
• GALICIAN HELTH CLUSTER, CSG
• CIVITTA ESTONIA
• EUROPEAN REGIONAL AND LOCAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES ASBL
• FOUNDATION PRAXIS CENTRE FOR POLICY STUDIES
• PROUD ENGINEERS
• SOUTH-EASTERN FINLAND UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
• COMPETENCE CENTRE ON ACTIVE AND HEALTHY AGENING OF UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

Among the 9 partners, TEHNOPOL SCIENCE AND BUSINESS PARK and the GALICIAN HEALTH CLUSTER, CSG, have a history of collaboration within ECHAlliance. As coordinators of the Estonian Ecosystem and the Galician Ecosystem respectively, they have participate in each other’s events since 2017. On September 2017, CSG invited Piret Hirv, currently Head of Health Technology Division and Connected Health Cluster Manager Tallinn Science Park Tehnopol, to participate in the international ECHAlliance ecosystems roundtable in their annual event Forum RIES.

From then onwards, their collaboration in start-up acceleration programs, strategic meetings and project consortiums have taken them until this H2020 project, with Tehnopol as leading partner and CSG leading WP4 Service testing and adoption, involving validation of Person Centered Care technology in their social care living labs in Galicia.

Recording of the kick-off meeting can be viewed at: https://www.tehnopol.ee/en/innovation-networks-for-scaling-active-and-healthy-ageing/