REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL First Interim Evaluation of the Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programme (AAL JP)
Date: 2010-12-16
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, Framework Programme for Research and Development, financial aid, new technology, population ageing, project evaluation

EN 

EN 

   EN 

 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 16.12.2010 
COM(2010) 763 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL  

First Interim Evaluation of the Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programme (AAL JP) 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
  
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL  

First Interim Evaluation of the Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programme (AAL JP) 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The European Union has recognised ICT as a key factor to address the challenges posed by 
demographic ageing, as initially outlined in the Commission's Communication "Ageing Well 
in  the  Information  Society"  (2007)1
.  It  has  notably  made  available  financial  support  to 
research,  development  and  innovation  in  this  field.  The  Commission  Communication  on  a 
"Digital Agenda for Europe" (2010)2 reinforces the Union's commitment to make use of ICT 
for active, independent and healthy ageing.  

The  EU's  participation  in  the  Ambient  Assisted  Living  Joint  Programme  (AAL  JP)  is  a 
cornerstone  of  that  commitment.  The  AAL  JP  was  created  by  20  EU  Member  States  and  3 
associated  countries  in  2008.  The  European  Union  decided  to  match  participating  countries' 
support  with  funding  from  the  7th  Framework  Programme  for  Research  and  Technological 
Development (FP7), based on Article 185 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European 
Union (TFEU), previously Article 169 of the EC Treaty3. 

The  AAL  JP  focuses  on  applied  research  with  a  two-to-three  year  time-to-market  of  ICT-
based products and services for the elderly population. The AAL JP's participating countries 
are  the  principal  owners  of  the  AAL  JP.  They  execute  the  programme  through  a  non-profit 
AAL Association, governed by a General Assembly and supported operationally by a Central 
Management  Unit.  The  European  Commission  has  observer  status  in  the  General  Assembly 
and  a  veto  right  on  the  annual  work  programme,  and  is  party  in  general  and  annual 
agreements with the AAL Association concerning the EU’s financial contribution. 

The 2008 Decision on the financial participation by the Community in the AAL JP required 
an  interim  evaluation  by  2010,  which  has  been  carried  out  by  an  independent  High-Level 
Expert  Panel  chaired  by  former  European  Commissioner  Meglena  Kuneva.  The  Panel 
findings  have  been  based  on  extensive  background  documentation,  case  studies,  statistical 
information  about  the  AAL  JP,  some  40  interviews  with  a  stakeholders,  and  an  online 
consultation. 

The Panel elaborated advice on innovation and demographic ageing in general and provided 
specific recommendations on the AAL JP. Most of these recommendations are addressed to 
the participating States in the AAL JP, while some also address the EU Institutions and the 
broader  community  of  stakeholders  (senior  citizens'  organisations,  industry  and  service 
providers, regional authorities). 

This  Communication  analyses  the  key  recommendations  of  the  Panel  and  proposes,  where 
relevant,  actions  for  the  European  Commission  to  be  pursued  in  cooperation  with  other  EU 
institutions and stakeholders, and through the Commission's role in the AAL JP. 

2. 

CONTEXT FOR ICT ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE OF DEMOGRAPHIC AGEING 

The  basic  data  about  the  ageing  of  Europe's  population  are  well-known.  They  show  an 
imminent and significant change in society and economy for which the EU is still not well-
prepared: a shortage of up to 2 million jobs in care and health is projected to emerge by 2020, 

1 
2 
3 

COM(2007) 332 final, 14 June 2007 
COM(2010)245 final/2, 19 May 2010 
Decision No 742/2008/EC, 9 July 2008 

EN 

2 

   EN 

                                                 
if no measures to address it are undertaken, resulting in 15% of necessary work in the general 
healthcare sector not covered4; the ratio of people aged over 65 to working people (aged 15-
64)  will  drop  from  approximately  1:4  in  2008  to  1:3  in  2020  and  1:2  in  2050,  straining 
intergenerational solidarity5; the rising cost of ageing will have a significant impact on public 
finances6;  and  while  the  50+  have  an  estimated  disposable  income  and  wealth  of  some  €3 
trillion  and  incomes  of  pensioners  have  been  rising7,  disparities  are  huge  with  19%  of  the 
elderly at risk of poverty, a figure that is rapidly increasing especially in the EU-108. 

The  demographic  challenge  can  only  be  tackled  by  a  coherent  combination  of  social, 
economic,  health,  innovation  and  digital  policies9.  Acting  today  can  translate  into  a 
considerable  triple  win  in  terms  of  better  quality  of  life,  cost  of  care  that  is  sustainable  for 
society  as  a  whole,  and  new  jobs  and  business  thanks  to  a  growing  ‘silver  economy'. 
Demographic  ageing  has  been  identified  in  the  Europe  2020  Strategy10  as  both  a  challenge 
and  an  opportunity  for  smart,  sustainable,  and  inclusive  growth.  Its  flagship  initiatives  “A 
Digital Agenda for Europe” and “Innovation Union”11 each address demographic ageing as a 
priority. 

The Digital Agenda focuses on ICT-enabled innovative services, products, and processes. The 
Innovation  Union  Flagship  announces  a  European  Innovation  Partnership  on  Active  and 
Health Ageing, in which digital solutions are to play an important role. The transformational 
nature  of  ICT  allows  for  innovation  in  the  organisation  of  care,  for  example  enabling 
increased  time  for  carers  to  spend  with  their  elderly  clients  by  increasing  effectiveness  and 
reducing red tape in care, solutions to improve working conditions and well being of informal 
carers,  personal  lifestyle  and  health  management,  workplace  adaptation  to  ageing,  and 
continued active participation of elderly in economy and society. An increasing base of case 
studies shows reduction and delayed onset of institutional care by 10-30%, high levels of user 
satisfaction, and growth in business of over 10% p.a.12 

AAL solutions range from well-known products such as pendants that trigger a social alarm or pill reminders, to 
more advanced solutions, e.g. smart living spaces that detect and compensate for problems that may come with 
age such as memory loss, wandering, health conditions; smart products such as sensor-enabled floors and shoes 
with actuators to detect or prevent falls; digital information services such as security and health monitoring and 
telecare,  or  internet-connected  televisions  for  leisure,  entertainment,  learning,  balance  or  memory  training, 
lifestyle  advice  and  video  connections  with  family.  Advanced  research  explores  for  instance  robotics  for 
assistance  with  heavy  daily  chores  or  co-design  of  social  communication  devices  by  elderly  persons. 

3. 

PANEL  OBSERVATIONS  AND  RECOMMENDATIONS  AS  REGARDS  INNOVATION  AND 
DEMOGRAPHIC AGEING 

The  Panel  was  requested  to  assess  the  performance  of  the  AAL  JP  and,  in  doing  so  also 
looked  at  the  AAL  JP  in  the  wider  context  of  innovation  and  demographic  ageing.  In 
connection  with  the  latter  the  Panel  recommends  the  active  promotion  of  an  enhanced  and 

4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 

European Commission’s preliminary own estimates based on EUROSTAT and OECD data 
SEC (2008) 2911 
COM(2009) 545, 17 Sept 2009 
Silver Economy Network of European Regions 
Interim EPC-SPC Joint Report on Pensions, 28 May 2010 
COM(2006) 571, COM(2009) 180, 2009 Ageing Report – European Economy series 
COM(2010)2020, 3 March 2010 
COM(2010)1161, 6 Oct 2010 
Action  Plan  on  Information  and  Communication  Technologies  and  Ageing  (2007),  e-Health  Lead 
Market Initiative (2007), ICT programme of FP7, CIP ICT PSP, AAL JP work programme (www.aal-
europe.eu) 

EN 

3 

   EN 

 
 
                                                 
renewed  vision  of  ageing,  which  values  the  continuing  involvement  of  elderly  citizens  in 
society and the economy as an opportunity for the European Union13. This vision prioritises 
empowering  the  elderly  to  continue  living  actively  and  independently  in  their  preferred 
environment for as long as possible, and to take care of their own wellbeing and health. 

The Commission supports this recommendation, which requires a better coordination between 
technological,  social  and  business  innovation,  for  example  in  combining  professional  and 
informal  care  by  family  and  community;  putting  in  place  ICT-enabled  flexible  workplaces 
and  adapted  work  arrangements  for  carers  who  are  also  active  at  work;  establishing  public-
private  contracts  for  a  viable  health  and  social  care  business,  with  verified  quality  and 
universal coverage. 

The Panel also calls for the rapid creation of a dynamic market for ICT and ageing, able to 
deliver  innovative  products  and  services  and  for  high  impact  by  combining  research, 
market and deployment activities. 

The Commission supports this recommendation while emphasising, with the Panel, that this 
requires urgently tackling important barriers which include: 

–  Market fragmentation and lack of economies of scale: much of elderly care is local and 
requires  locally  adapted  innovation.  The  challenge  is  to  avoid  fragmentation  with  sub-
optimal service quality. 

–  Lack  of  funding  for  innovation  and  investment  to  scale  up  from  pilots:  issues  include 
convincing  commercial  investors  to  step  up  their  commitment  on  a  basis  of  longer-term 
social and societal objectives, as well as financing for SMEs to expand in larger markets. 

–  Uncertainty  about  payment:  Europe  has  a  large  diversity  of  ways  to  finance  health  and 
social  care,  which  combine  public  sector,  private  sector  and  citizen  interventions,  and 
which are often not adapted to supporting innovative ICT-based solutions for active ageing 
or independent living. 

The Panel recommends creating partnerships that reinforce the links and interaction between 
research  and  development,  innovation,  market  players,  regulators  and  end-users,  to  address 
such barriers. The Commission considers that the European Innovation Partnership on Active 
and  Healthy  Ageing  is  an  important  step  in  that  direction.  The  creation  of  the  AAL 
Investment  Forum  this  year  is  another  encouraging  step  to  address  some  of  the  investment 
issues. 

The  Panel  also  emphasises  that  ensuring  operational  excellence  by  closer  cooperation 
between  stakeholders  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  cope  with  the  high  degree  of 
fragmentation,  decentralisation  and  the  wide  range  of  actors  and  to  be  able  to  act  fast  and 
efficiently,  which  is  necessary  given  the  urgency  of  demographic  ageing.  Therefore,  strong 
operational  management  of  joint  activities  is  essential.  The  Commission  supports  these 
recommendations  which  should  guide  the  further  development  of  the  AAL  JP  and  other 
activities in innovation and demographic ageing.  

4. 

PANEL RECOMMENDATIONS SPECIFIC TO THE AAL JP 

The Panel evaluated the AAL JP in five areas: 

–  Progress towards objectives; 

–  Level of financial contributions by participating States; 

13 

This  approach  to  ageing  is  also  reflected  in  the  Council  in  its  Conclusions  on  Active  Ageing,  7  June 
2010 

EN 

4 

   EN 

                                                 
–  Performance of the AAL JP as a drive of integration of national programmes; 

–  Operational performance; 

–  European added value. 

The larger part of the Panel recommendations directly concern the participating States. Some 
recommendations concern the involvement of the Commission in the programme. These are 
addressed under each evaluation area below. 

The overall assessment of the Panel is clearly positive as regards relevance and results of the 
AAL JP, even if the programme has been operational for two years only and projects have not 
yet  been  completed.  The  Panel  considers  that  the  AAL  JP  can  provide  highly  relevant 
solutions  to  the  challenge  of  demographic  ageing  and  at  the  same  time  be  a  successful 
example of the use of Article 185 TFEU for innovative research cooperation between Member 
States with EU support. The Panel also acknowledged the responsive financial contribution of 
the participating countries, which has gone well beyond the legally required minimum (for the 
first two Calls the participating States raised their financial contribution respectively 30% and 
50% above the required minimum), and a strong participation of SMEs of well above 40%. 
The  Commission  observes  that  the  AAL  JP  addresses  a  societal  challenge  that  is  of  wide 
concern, with mutual and balanced advantages to pool efforts, and with the AAL JP Decision 
providing clear rules and incentives for such cooperation. 

The Panel, however, also recommends that the AAL JP urgently reinforces its operations. The 
Commission  strongly  supports  this  recommendation  and  urges  participating  States  to  pay 
close and immediate attention to this recommendation.  

Progress towards the objectives of AAL JP 

The  key  objectives  of  the  AAL  JP  are  (i)  to  enable  the  emergence  of  ICT-based  products, 
services  and  systems  for  ageing  well,  (ii)  create  a  sufficient  body  of  research,  development 
and innovation, and (iii) improve conditions for industrial exploitation.  

The  Panel  concluded  that  the  AAL  JP  is  contributing  positively  to  the  first  and  second 
objective,  in  particular  as  regards  conditions  for  industry  participation  (as  evidenced  by  the 
high participation of SMEs, i.e. 40%). The Panel recommends, however, putting more efforts 
on  enhancing  the  actual  exploitation  of  results.  It  also  recommended  participating  States  to 
reinforce  downstream  work  in  areas  like  service  innovation,  and  to  factor  in  more  broadly 
practical deployment considerations. 

The Commission agrees with the Panel on the substantial and visible progress of the AAL JP 
towards objectives. It also agrees with the Panel recommendation that exploitation of results 
should  receive  stronger  attention.  The  actions  which  the  Commission  intends  to  undertake 
(with  stakeholders)  will  promote  the  linkage  between  the  AAL  JP  and  deployment 
instruments,  notably  the  Competitiveness  and  Innovation  Programme,  providing  market  and 
impact  evidence  and  analysis,  and  exploring  new  financing  instruments  for  deployment  and 
uptake14.  The  Commission  also  intends  to  ensure  that  these  actions  will  contribute  to  and 
leverage  related  work  in  the  announced  European  Innovation  Partnership  on  Active  and 
Healthy Ageing. 

The Commission will work with the AAL JP to develop and share impact metrics between 
the programme and the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (2011).  

The  Commission  will  launch  a market  observatory  and  business models  study  in  ICT  for 

14 

Within the possibilities of state aid rules 

EN 

5 

   EN 

                                                 
ageing well, which will also address the work on business models of AAL JP projects (2011). 

The Commission, together with the European Investment Bank and the AAL JP, will mobilise 
or  set  up  appropriate  financing  modalities  to  bridge  the  investment  gap  for  large  scale 
deployment  and  uptake,  taking  the  JESSICA  investment  scheme  and  ELENA  technical 
assistance facility15 as reference points (2010-2011). 

The  Commission  will  propose  to  the  AAL  JP  to  continue  supporting  the  AAL  Investment 
Forum, and to open it up to innovators and innovations from FP7  and  CIP ICT PSP (2011 
and beyond). 

Level of financial contributions by participating countries 

The Panel concluded that the level of national financial contributions is a major success of the 
AAL JP. On the whole, joint financing of projects from separate national funding streams is 
seen  as  working  well.  The  Panel  raised  concerns,  however,  regarding  the  complexity  for 
participants  to  deal  with  the  diversity  of  national  rules,  as  well  as  with  differing  payment 
schedules, sometimes affecting the operation of projects. In addition, the Panel recommended 
ensuring sufficient resourcing of National Contact Points to allow them to adequately perform 
their required tasks. 

The Commission supports these findings and recommendations and encourages participating 
States  to  address  the  issue  of  timely  payments  to  project  partners  from  their  own  countries' 
budget, as a vital factor for success. 

The  Commission  will  continue  monitoring  key  financial  performance  metrics  (time-to-
payment,  time-to-contract)  in  its  annual  reviews  of  the  AAL  JP  and  follow-up  where 
necessary in particular to ensure timely payments (2010 onwards). 

Performance of the AAL JP for the integration of national programmes 

The Panel found that the AAL JP is an important instrument for integration of national efforts 
and  the  creation  of  synergies,  especially  as  regards  scientific  and  management  integration. 
Differing  financial  and  funding  eligibility  rules  across  participating  countries,  however, 
complicate  the  formation  of  international  consortia  and  the  effective  participation  of  all 
relevant stakeholders and the Panel recommends addressing this important issue. 

The Commission agrees with this recommendation and invites the participating States to take 
the  integration  objective  of  the  AAL  JP  in  utmost  account,  by  a  better  harmonisation  and 
simplification  of  funding  eligibility  rules  and  alignment  of  financing  and  disbursement 
practices. 

The  Commission  will  work  with  the  AAL  JP  Participating  States  to  analyse  funding 
approaches, with a view to exchange of practices and as input for the longer-term future of the 
AAL JP (2011). 

Operational performance of the AAL JP 

The Panel found that the first two calls for proposals under the AAL JP have been carried out 
successfully.  It  recommends,  however,  treating  the  reinforcement  and  improvement  of  the 
operations of the Central Management Unit as a priority. It also urges the AAL JP to expand 
opportunities for end-users' input in the programme and projects, by involving them at earlier 

15 

These  address  resp.  sustainable  urban  development  and  sustainable  energy  at  the  local  level, 
www.eib.org 

EN 

6 

   EN 

                                                 
stages, by enhancing their eligibility for national funding and ensuring their representation in 
the AAL JP Advisory Board. 

The  Commission  supports  these  recommendations  and  urges  participating  States  to  support 
the operations of the programme more strongly, by allocating human and financial resources 
including, if appropriate, stepped-up joint financing of the programme operations. 

The Commission also agrees with the Panel that the exchange of experience and creation of 
synergies with related Article 185 programmes, like Eurostars, EMPR and Bonus-169 can be 
instrumental in improving the management and operations of the AAL JP. 

The Commission will facilitate the exchange of Article 185 practices in the implementation 
of  related  programmes  through  exchange  of  operational  experience  and  possible  further 
cooperation.  

European added value of the AAL JP 

The Panel found that the AAL JP is already delivering a clear European added value in the 
achieved  balance  between  European  efforts  and  national  needs  and  inputs,  and  in  the 
development  of  good  practices.  The  current  European  efforts  in  addressing  and  removing 
barriers  to  the  deployment  of  AAL  solutions  should,  however,  be  strengthened  as  part  of  a 
joint effort with all stakeholders. The Panel strongly recommends a continuation of the AAL 
JP beyond FP7, as a long-term investment. The panel also recommends the European Union 
institutions  to  improve  and  strengthen  linkages  between  the  AAL  JP  and  other  EU-level 
programmes  and  initiatives,  such  as  the  cooperation  programme  of  FP  7  and  the 
Competitiveness and Innovation Programme. 

The Commission agrees with these findings and recommendations. The European dimension 
of  the  programme  is  essential  and  a  long-term  perspective  is  necessary  to  realise  the  full 
benefits of the AAL JP. The Commission therefore intends to explore the continuation of the 
AAL  JP  beyond  FP7,  taking  into  consideration  the  reaction  of  the  Council  and  European 
Parliament to the AAL JP evaluation results and recommendations. 

For the longer term (beyond 2013) several options will be assessed in close consultation with 
the AAL JP owners. In relation to the emergence of the European Innovation Partnership on 
Active and Healthy Ageing such assessment should address the alignment between the AAL 
JP participating states and the stakeholders of the European Innovation Partnership on Active 
and  Healthy  Ageing  as  regards  objectives,  areas  of  work,  financial  and  other  commitments. 
The assessment will also address reinforced common financing of projects and joint support 
to programme operations for the longer term. 

On the shorter term (2011-2012), the AAL JP actions can provide important contributions to 
the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. These include the active 
involvement of AAL JP stakeholders in the development of the Partnership itself (using the 
experience with the ownership model of the AAL JP), the dissemination of results of AAL JP 
projects,  research-market  bridging  mechanisms  such  as  the  Investment  Forum  mentioned 
before, and alignment of actions to further develop cooperation with regions. 

The  Commission  will  take  into  account  the  contributions  to  the  European  Innovation 
Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing that can be made by the AAL JP (2010-2012). 

The Commission will perform an impact assessment on options for the continuation of the 
AAL  JP  beyond  FP7,  without  prejudice  to  the  preparation  of  FP8  and  the  EU  Financial 
Perspectives and taking into account the evolution of the European Innovation Partnership on 
Active and Healthy Ageing (2012). 

EN 

7 

   EN 

Several  research  and  innovation  initiatives  exist  with  which  synergies  should  be  further 
strengthened or realised. The 7th Framework Programme’s ICT advanced research programme 
and  the  ICT  Policy  Support  Programme  of  the  Competitiveness  and  Innovation  Programme 
(CIP  ICT  PSP)  concerned  with  innovation  validation  are  upstream  and  downstream  partner 
programmes  to  the  AAL  JP.  Europe  has  a  globally  unique  strength  in  ICT  for  ageing  well 
with  these  inter-related  programmes  that  jointly  cover  a  significant  part  of  the  research  and 
innovation ‘chain’. 
A  number  of  Member  States  are  preparing  a  Joint  Programming  Initiative  (JPI)16  on  "More 
Years, Better Lives", addressing alignment of wide range of research disciplines (well beyond 
ICT  and  technology).  The  AAL  JP  can  provide  an  application  context  for  the  JPI’s  multi-
disciplinary  research  on  ageing  and  feed  the  JPI  research  agenda  with  user  experience  with 
ICT, while sharing research methodologies such as the life course approach. 

Finally,  the  Panel  recommended  that  the  AAL  JP  is  given  sustained  political  support  and 
continued and be enhanced as part of a coherent overall approach to demographic ageing as 
well as to research and innovation and the actions of the Digital Agenda in this area. 

The  Commission  will  support  technology  road-mapping  and  consultation  and  provide 
guidance to more closely link FP7, AAL JP and CIP in ICT for ageing well (2011). 

The Commission will address the potential for synergies between the AAL JP and the Joint 
Programming Initiative on "More Years, Better Lives" in a JPI Recommendation (2011). 

The  Commission  will  propose  to  the  AAL  JP  to  submit  the  AAL  Conference  as  a 
contribution  to  the  2012  Year  of  Active  Ageing  and  Intergenerational  Solidarity,  for 
enhanced visibility and reinforcement of commitment across a wide range of actors (2012). 

The  Commission  will  assess  the  adequacy  of  the  "Action  Plan  on  Information  and 
Communication Technologies and Ageing", as part of the Digital Agenda (2012). 

5. CONCLUSIONS 

The European Commission welcomes this AAL JP Interim Evaluation. On the one hand this 
provides  an  opportunity  to  reinforce  the  joint  actions  with  Member  States  and  other 
stakeholders  in  Europe  to  deal  with  the  imminent  demographic  change  through  innovation 
and ICT, as an important element in the implementation of the Digital Agenda for Europe and 
the Innovation Union flagships. In this context the AAL JP interim evaluation also provides 
timely  input  to  the  further  development  of  the  pilot  European  Innovation  Partnership  on 
Active  and  Healthy  Ageing.  On  the  other  hand  this  allows  for  drawing  lessons  from  the 
functioning of this instrument based on Article 185 TFEU, as an important means to build the 
European Research Area. 

The European Parliament and Council are invited to provide their opinion on the report and its 
analysis and recommendations and to support the implementation of proposed actions. 

16 

COM(2008) 468, towards Joint Programming in research 

EN 

8 

   EN