REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Final evaluation of the Active and Assisted Living Research and Development Programme
Date: 2022-12-19
Institutions: Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, digital technology, e-Health, elderly person, information technology, innovation, population ageing, quality of life, research and development

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 19.12.2022  COM(2022) 708 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Final evaluation of the Active and Assisted Living Research and Development Programme {SWD(2022) 404 final}  
 
 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 
AND THE COUNCIL 

Final evaluation of the Active and Assisted Living Research and Development 
Programme 

1.  OVERVIEW 

This report presents the findings of the final evaluation of the Active and Assisted Living 
Research and Development Programme (AAL2, covering 2014–21) (1). The Commission 
concludes, on the basis of this evaluation, that the AAL2 programme has been successful 
in achieving its main goals. 

The  programme  was  highly  relevant  in  terms  of  the  problems  addressed  and  the 
stakeholders involved, and responded well to changing technologies and the fast evolving 
market  environment.  It  demonstrated  that  the  EU  intervention  had  been  both  necessary 
and effective in delivering digital innovation in active and healthy ageing in a variety of 
fields,  including  health  and  care;  communication  and  information;  safety  and  security; 
leisure and culture; work and training; travel and transport. 

The  evaluation  is  based  on  an  external  study (2),  incorporating  2  case  studies (3),  using 
data collected through surveys and interviews with programme participants and a wider 
variety  of  stakeholders,  complemented  with  data  provided  by 
the  dedicated 
implementation structure managing the AAL programme and evidence already collected 
by  previous  studies,  such  as  prior  evaluations,  impact  assessments,  self-assessment 
reports and annual programme reviews (Commission, supported by external experts). 

The overall findings indicate the importance of: 

  using digital innovation to help ageing populations, supporting active and healthy 

living, and to secure the future of our health and care systems; 

  strategies for deploying and scaling up innovation for ageing well/healthy living 
focussing on: integration and deployment of digital solutions in existing systems; 
better  engagement  of  all  actors  along  the  entire  value  chain,  including  regional 
involvement;  and  incentivising  and  providing  support  for  companies  to  go  to 
market (including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)); 

(1)  Decision No 554/2014/EU, 15 May 2014. 

(2)  Independent Expert Report (September 2022). Active and Assisted Living Research and Development 
Programme  (AAL2)  final  evaluation  -  Study  in  support  of  the  ex-post  evaluation  of  the  European 
Framework  Programme  for  Research  and  Innovation  Horizon  2020,  Prognos,  PPMI,  Publications 
Office of the European Union, 2022 (https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/068757). 

(3)  Independent  Expert  Report  AAL2  final  evaluation:  Annex  D:  Case  Study  on  ‘Support  Actions  for 
capacity development and community building and Annex E: Case Study on ‘Learnings from the AAL2 
Public-Public  Partnership  Approach,  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union,  Luxembourg 
(https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/068757). 

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  cooperation  and  communication  at  all  levels  and  tapping  into  the  energy  of  an 
‘alliance  of  early  movers’  mobilised  by  the  AAL  Association  (AALA),  which 
have set the agenda for active and healthy ageing in Europe and promoted the role 
of digital innovation in the field; 

 

long-term  programme-driven  partnerships  offering,  next  to  transnational  calls,  a 
portfolio  of  inclusive,  EU-level  Support  Actions  (set  of  initiatives,  studies  and 
services) aimed at supporting project applicants, partnership beneficiaries and the 
wider community linked to the partnership’s key focus domains; 

  a  holistic  system  transformation  approach,  encompassing  co-dependencies  of 
policy/regulatory measures, funding & investment decisions, data ecosystems and 
digital technology applications with differing organisational culture, business and 
governance models, and different regional health and care systems. 

2.  ACTIVE  AND  HEALTHY  LIVING:  THE  COMBINED  CHALLENGE  OF  DEMOGRAPHIC 

CHANGE AND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION 

This report concerns the evaluation of the AAL2 programme which was set up in 2014 as 
a successor initiative of the Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programme (4) (AAL). Both 
programmes are based on Article 185 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European 
Union  (TFEU) (5).  The  EU  decided  to  participate  in  these  research  and  development 
programmes  by  matching  participant  states’  support  with  funding  from  Horizon  2020 
(for AAL2) and the 7th Research Framework Programme (for AAL). The 2014 decision 
on  the  EU’s  financial  contribution  to  the  AAL2  programme  provided  for  a  final 
evaluation of the programme to be conducted by the end of 2022. 

In total 21 countries participated throughout the 7-year programme lifecycle of AAL2: 16 
EU  Member  States,  3  Horizon  2020  associated  countries  and  2  third-countries (6).  The 
participating  states  implement  the  programme  through  an  international  non-profit  AAL 
Association  governed by a General  Assembly  and supported operationally  by  a Central 
Management Unit (CMU). The Commission has observer status in the General Assembly 
with  a  veto  right  over  the  annual  work  programme,  and  was  also  a  party  to  the 
agreements with the AALA as regards the EU’s financial contribution. 

The  AAL2  programme  focused  on  market-oriented  applied  research  and  innovation  on 
ICT-based solutions for active and healthy ageing at home, in the community, or at work. 
It  is  established  as  an  Article  185  TFEU (7)  initiative  in  which  the  Commission  has 

(4)  Decision No 742/2008/EC, 9 July 2008. 

(5)  Decision No 554/2014/EU, 15 May 2014. 

(6)  Austria,  Belgium  (2  regions),  Canada,  Cyprus,  Denmark,  Hungary,  Ireland,  Israel,  Italy  (3  regions), 
Luxembourg,  the  Netherlands,  Norway,  Poland,  Portugal,  Romania,  Slovenia,  Spain  (3  regions), 
Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. 

(7)  Article 185 initiatives are long term public-public partnerships (P2P) established on a voluntary basis 
by  EU  Member  States  that  are  also  eligible  for  a  substantial  financial  contribution  from  the  EU 
Research Framework Programme. They aim to address common challenges in specific research areas 
by  creating  economies  of  scale  and  synergies  between  national  and  EU  research  programmes  and 
investment.  Their  ambition  is  to  achieve  scientific,  managerial  and  financial  integration  among 
national research programmes in a given field (from: https://www.era-learn.eu/). 

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worked with national and regional authorities to  seize the many opportunities involving 
both digital innovation and active and healthy ageing. 

On average Europeans enjoy longer lives in good health than other regions. In the last 50 
years, life expectancy at birth has increased by about 10 years for both men and women. 
This is a remarkable achievement that both poses challenges and offers opportunities. 

By 2070, over 30% of Europeans are projected to be 65 years of age or over, compared to 
just  over  20%  in  2019 (8).  The  share  of  people  aged  80  years  or  older  is  expected  to 
double from 5.8% to 13.2% over the same period. Within the EU, the impact of ageing 
varies  widely  between  regions,  especially  between  urban  and  rural  areas,  and  gains  in 
healthy life expectancy are unevenly distributed (9). At the same time there are social and 
economic opportunities associated with the concept of healthy ageing. 

Older  citizens  are  increasingly  shaping  economies  and  the  demand  for  services  and 
products  in  the  ‘silver  economy’  is  increasing  rapidly (10).  There  is  now  a  substantial 
number of technologies and digital solutions to support people at any stage in their lives, 
to  support  ‘ageing  in  place’  and  at  work,  improve  the  home  environment  and  support 
social  connectedness (11).  In  using  these  technologies  to  the  maximum  extent  possible, 
there  is  potential  for  economic  growth  and  social  development  in  demographic  change 
that can balance some of its impacts on health and (social) care systems and improve the 
quality of life of the ageing population and their carers. 

In April 2020, the Commission adopted a ‘Report on Demographic change’ followed by 
a  ‘Green  Paper  on  Ageing’  in  January  2021.  They  promote  a  life-course  approach  to 
ageing, emphasising the importance of health promotion and prevention of diseases from 
early  on  in  life,  and  the  need  to  lead  healthy  and  active  lives  throughout  one’s  whole 
lifespan. 

Digital health solutions play an important role in for example: 

  helping  older  people  live  independently  (‘ageing  in  place’)  and  better  monitor 

their own health status; 
  supporting fall prevention; 
  promoting age-friendly buildings, cities and environments; 
  empowering  older  people  to  cope  with  co-morbidities  (having  multiple  health 

issues at the same time) and loneliness, so improving their mental health. 

(8)  European Commission (2021), The 2021 Ageing Report. Economic & Budgetary Projects for the EU 

Member States (2019-2070), Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. 

(9)  World Health Organization (2021), Decade of Healthy Ageing: Baseline Report. 

(10)  European Commission (2018), The Silver Economy, A study prepared for the European Commission 
DG  Communication  Networks,  Content  &  Technology  by  Technopolis  Group,  Oxford  Economics, 
Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. 

(11)  SAPEA,  Science  Advice  for  Policy  by  European  Academies  (2019),  Transforming  the  Future  of 

Ageing, SAPEA, Berlin (pp. 190-196). 

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The Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 (12) promotes access 
to prevention and high-quality healthcare as a key aspect to improve the quality of life of 
persons with disabilities, including older persons. 

This  is  also  among  the  ambitions  of  the  recently  published  EU  Care  Strategy (13) 
(September 2022). The Commission urges Member States to ensure that long-term care is 
timely,  comprehensive  and  affordable,  as  well  as  to  increase  the  supply  and  mix  of 
professional  long-term  care  services  (homecare,  community-based  care  and  residential 
care), and to roll out accessible digital solutions for providing care services. 

The  Commission  is  determined  to  make  this  Europe's  ‘Digital  Decade’.  The  ‘2030 
Digital  Compass  for  the  EU's  digital  decade’ (14)  Communication,  lays  out  the 
Commission’s  vision  and  the  avenues  for  Europe’s  digital  transformation  up  to  2030. 
Europe  must  now  strengthen  its  digital  sovereignty  and  set  standards,  rather  than 
following those of others – with a clear focus on data, technology, and infrastructure. If 
they are to fully participate in economic and societal activities today and in the future it is 
necessary  to  enable  all  Europeans  to  make  full  use  of  digital  opportunities  and 
technologies,  such  as  digital  health  services,  and  to  facilitate  seamless,  secure  and 
interoperable  access  across  the  EU  to  digital  public  services  designed  to  meet  people’s 
needs effectively. 

The  European  Declaration  on  Digital  rights  and  principles  for  the  Digital  Decade (15) 
provides  guidance  shaped  by  European  values  for  the  EU  and  Member  States  as  they 
adapt  to  the  digital  transformation.  The  ‘solidarity  and  inclusion’  principle  specifically 
focusses on technology that should unite and not divide people and stresses that everyone 
should have access to the internet, to digital skills, to digital public services and to  fair 
working conditions. 

The  proposed  European  Health  Data  Space  (EHDS)  Regulation (16)  will  empower 
individuals to control and share their electronic health data while ensuring compliance to 
strong privacy standards with legal, organisational and technical safeguards. 

3.  EVALUATION OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY 

The  final  evaluation  addresses  the  seven  years  of  operation  of  the  AAL2  programme, 
from  June  2014  to  June  2021,  in  line  with  the  five  evaluation  criteria  of  the 
Commission’s  Better  Regulation  Guidelines (17),  complemented  with  two  additional 

(12)  European  Commission  (2021),  Directorate-General  for  Employment,  Social  Affairs  and  Inclusion, 
Union of equality : strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030, Publications Office, 
2021, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2767/31633 

(13)  European  Commission  (2022),  A  European  Care  Strategy  for  caregivers  and  care  receivers, 

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_5169 

(14)  COM(2021) 118 final. 

(15)  COM(2022) 27 final. 

(16)  COM(2022) 197 final. 

(17)  The  better  regulation  guidelines  set  out  the  principles  that  the  European  Commission  follows  when 

preparing new initiatives and proposals and when managing and evaluating existing legislation. 

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partnership-specific criteria on  ‘additionality’ and  the ‘transparency & openness’ of the 
partnership. 

The  evaluation  methodology  built  on  different  analysis  methods  and  data  sources.  The 
evaluation  is  based  on  an  external  study (18),  incorporating  2  case  studies,  using  the 
wealth  of  evidence  already  collected  by  previous  studies,  such  as  prior  evaluations, 
impact assessments, self-assessment reports, annual reviews (Commission supported by 
external  experts)  and  other  reports.  The  evaluation  also  included  statistical  information 
about  the  AAL2  programme  and  2021  programme  impact  study (19),  provided  by  the 
dedicated  implementation  structure  (CMU)  managing  the  programme.  The  quantitative 
findings  were  enriched  with  qualitative  information  from  approximately  30  interviews 
with programme participants and a wider variety of stakeholders. The conclusions of the 
external study are sound and based on a good understanding of the complexities inherent 
to  the  AAL2’s  underlying  indirect  management  model  for  ‘Article  185  TFEU 
partnerships’ with Member States. 

Limitations and robustness 

Statistical  data has  been provided by the CMU, a  highly professional  organisation  with 
very  comprehensive  processes  and  procedures,  so  the  available  datasets  are  considered 
highly reliable. 

Data  on  the  long-term  impacts  of  the  AAL2  programme  are  still  emerging. 
Approximately 40% of the projects are still ongoing (20). The assessment of impact and 
part of the effectiveness  criteria were therefore mainly based on the  programme impact 
study (21),  which  looked  into  a  relatively  small  sample  size  of  38  AAL2  projects 
completed by December 2019 and interviewed AAL2 beneficiaries involved. 

The evaluation takes into account the inherent limitations of the findings of surveys: 

 

the  answers  received  reflect  the  views  of  a  sample  of  relevant  stakeholders  and 
not those of the entire community that has a stake in this field; 

  stakeholders' views convey an individual rather than an overall perspective. 

All interviewees were highly experienced professionals who were very familiar with the 
programme. As such the evidence base accumulated is considered to reliably reflect the 
views and opinions of the AAL community. 

Given the information above, this evaluation can be considered to have been carried out 
on the basis of the best available data. Whenever reliable quantitative data is lacking, this 
is counter-balanced with qualitative data and considerations, so the impact of the above-
mentioned limitations was mitigated as much as possible. 

(18)  See footnotes 2 and 3. 

(19)  Idea  Consult,  Third  edition  of  the  AAL  programme  impact  assessment,  final  summary  report, 

December 2021, Brussels. 

(20)  Status of 151 AAL2 projects  at end 2021: 78 finished; 59  ongoing; last projects are estimated to be 

finalised mid-2025. 

(21)  See footnote 19. 

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4.  FINAL EVALUATION FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 

The final evaluation report confirms the high added value and major achievements of the 
AAL2 programme and concludes that: 

 

the  programme  continues  to  occupy  a  unique  position  in  the  field  of  digital 
solutions  for  active  and  healthy  ageing,  with  strong  relevance,  EU  added  value 
and additionality; 

  AAL2  brings  together  a  highly  relevant  combination  of  beneficiaries,  including 
SMEs  and  end-user  organisations  that  do  not  typically  participate  in  Horizon 
2020; 

 

 

the programme is well managed thanks to flexible implementation methods and a 
strong leadership role by the Central Management Unit/dedicated implementation 
structure; 

the  programme  has  made  significant  progress  towards  its  objectives,  but  the 
complex  nature  of  the  market  still  constrains  the  swift  uptake  of  innovative 
solutions. 

The evaluation highlights some important key achievements and early results, which are 
promising indicators of relevant overall impact: 

 

in  total,  151  collaborative  projects  (involving  at  least  3  partners  from  different 
countries) were funded under AAL2;  

  AAL2 supported 705 beneficiaries, with 1078 participations (22), of which: 

o  SMEs accounted for 40.3%, 

o  universities and research institutes accounted for 26.8%, 

o  end-user  organisations  accounted  for  26.3%;  participation  by  end-user 

organisations increased strongly over the course of AAL2; 

  overall  programme  investment  in  AAL2  represents  EUR 308 million;  EC 
commitment 
over 
EUR 121.5 million  of  commitments  from  participating  states  and  leveraging  an 
estimated co-financing of over EUR 77.7 million from programme participants. 

EUR 108.6 million (23), 

complemented 

by 

of 

  AAL2  brings  together  top  research  bodies  in  Europe  with  SMEs  and  end-user 

organisations that do not typically participate in Horizon 2020; 

(22)  The  term  ‘participations’  refers  to  the  sum  of  all  beneficiaries  in  all  projects,  including  multiple 

counting of beneficiaries that participated several times. 

(23)  The legal bases set a maximum estimated EU financial contribution of EUR 175 million and stipulate 
that  the  annual  EU  financial  commitment  to  the  AAL2  programme  must  not  exceed  the  annual 
financial  commitment  by  participating  states.  EC  budget  includes  programme  management,  Support 
Actions and project calls; participating states’ and beneficiaries’ budgets are only for financing project 
calls. 

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  around  22%  of  the  universities  and  higher  education  institutes  participating  in 
AAL2  belong  in  the  top  1%  of  Horizon  2020  participants;  45.4%  belong  to  the 
top 10%. This indicates the nature of research bodies participating in AAL2; 

 

 

there  is  strong  complementarity  between  AAL2  and  other  parts  of  the  Horizon 
2020 programme in  terms  of participants’ profiles: 56.2% of AAL2 participants 
have not participated in a Horizon 2020 project (outside AAL2); for SMEs, that 
rate is 62.8%; 

the  budget  utilisation  rate  increased  by  18.8  percentage  points,  compared  to  the 
predecessor programme, thanks to project reconfigurations and other optimisation 
mechanisms; 

  out of 38 projects, 23 (61%) that were completed by the end of 2019 had brought 
at  least  one  solution  to  the  market.  These  covered  digital  solutions  supporting 
ageing  well  in  a  variety  of  fields,  including  safety  and  security;  leisure  and 
culture; work and training; vitality and abilities; travel and transport; 

  over  4  800  people  attended  the  AAL2  Forums  to  intensify  transnational 

collaboration, network and exchange ideas; 

  a total  of 65 projects  participated in  AAL2Business Support  Action activities to 
improve  their  skills  in  bringing  their  solution  to  the  market.  Beneficiaries  also 
reported a substantial increase in their knowledge of user needs. 

4.1.  General observations 

The  Commission  welcomes  the  final  evaluation  report,  which  is  underpinned  with 
objective  data  and  evidence.  The  recommendations  and  lessons  learned  are  based  on  a 
good  understanding  of  the  complexities  inherent  to  the  indirect  management  model  of 
Article 185 TFEU partnerships with Member States. 

The  Commission  welcomes  the  conclusion  that  the  major  concerns  expressed  in  the 
interim evaluation (24) did not materialise. The negative trends identified by the interim 
evaluation,  notably  the  decreasing  number  of  countries  actively  participating  in  the 
programme  and  associated  decreasing  budget  commitments,  did  not  continue  and  were 
reversed  during  the  second  half  of  AAL2,  thus  securing  the  sustainability  of  the 
programme, with stable membership numbers over the whole programming period. 

In  addition,  the  concerns  about  a  lack  of  strategic  leadership  within  the  AALA  were 
countered by  a major  restructuring of the CMU  in  response to  the recommendations in 
the  interim  evaluation.  This  resulted  in  improved  strategic  capacity,  which  provided 
proactive,  responsive  and  energetic  leadership  during  the  second  half  of  the  AAL2 
programme. Subsequently, the programme was able to adjust swiftly to new insights and 
demands, introducing substantial operational improvements that have kept it relevant. 

(24)  European  Commission  (2017),  Interim  Evaluation  of  the  Active  &  Assisted  Living  Programme, 

Publication Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. 

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The  Commission  acknowledges  the  pioneering  role  of  the  programme  in  creating  and 
seizing the many opportunities to contribute to active and healthy ageing through digital 
innovation. The programme actively contributed to developing a positive perspective on 
ageing and created a neutral space, bringing together stakeholder groups that previously 
had little or no interaction. 

Despite the complex and fragmented nature of the market, AAL2 showed a positive trend 
in the number of solutions launched on the market and has promoted social innovation. It 
also  addressed  well  the  priority  target  groups  set-out  for  the  programme  i.e.  SMEs 
(40.3%)  and  end-user  organisations  (26.3%)  that  do  not  typically  participate  in  EU-
funded research and innovation (R&I) programmes. 

4.2.  Recommendations and lessons learned 

The  Commission  subscribes  fully  to  the  conclusion  of  the  evaluation  report  that  future 
European action on digital innovation in active and healthy living needs a wider approach 
to  system  transformation.  A  holistic  approach  is  required  that  engages  all  private  and 
public  stakeholders,  including  all  relevant  levels  of  government  responsible  for  the 
sustainability and transformation of health and care systems. 

The  Commission  has  already  adopted  such  a  holistic  approach  in  the  Horizon  Europe 
research  and  innovation  framework  programme  and  more  specifically  in  its  call  for  a 
European Partnership on transforming health and care systems (25). This  co-fund action 
will  create  an  R&I  partnership  with  a  focus  on  transforming  health  and  care  systems, 
representing  a  unique  strategic  opportunity  to  bring  together  stakeholders  (including 
regional  ecosystems),  create  synergies,  coordinate  R&I  actions,  and  facilitate  the 
digitalisation of health and care services, using innovative solutions driven by knowledge 
and evidence. 

It will stimulate service, policy and organisational innovations, as well as the integration 
of biomedical and technological innovations for the benefit of the European citizens and 
European  industry.  The  co-fund  partnership  is  requested  to  build  on  knowledge  gained 
from  Horizon  2020  initiatives,  such  as  the  AAL  programme.  This  responds  to  the 
recommendation  of  the  evaluation  report  that  future  actions  should  build  on  the 
commitment  of  the  community  of  stakeholders  created  by  AAL2  who  are  dedicated  to 
active and healthy living. 

The  Commission  recognises  that  ‘Support  Actions’  proved  to  be  an  efficient  and  cost-
effective  addition  to  the  funding  of  transnational  calls  and  strengthen  the  Partnership’s 
ability  to  achieve  its  objectives.  The  Commission  would  promote  such  an  approach  in 
any future partnership and cooperation structure. 

Importantly,  future  policy  actions  should  blend  technological  and  social  innovation 
instead  of  dealing  with  both  aspects  separately.  Likewise  it  should  promote  active  and 
healthy living and help people and societies to use the full potential of digital solutions 
for ageing well. 

(25)  HORIZON-HLTH-2022-CARE-10-01 

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The  European  Care  Strategy  (26),  published  in  September  2022,  acknowledges  the 
importance of rolling out accessible digital solutions for the provision of care services, in 
all  care  settings,  such  as  home,  community-based  and  residential  care.  The  proposed 
EHDS  Regulation  promotes  interoperability  of  electronic  health  data  between  the 
different providers and will thus contribute to the creation of an inclusive health and care 
infrastructure.  In  addition,  in  designing  the  funding  programmes  under  the  current 
Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the Commission has paid specific attention to 
creating  favourable  conditions  for  blending  funding  and  stimulating  synergies  across 
programmes. 

The Commission  has also  published  a  Flagship  Support  Instrument on ‘Person-Centred 
Integrated  Care’ (27)  (May  2022),  to  promote  reforms  in  EU  Member  States  that  help 
national and regional administrations to investigate, design and implement strategies for 
integrating  health,  social  care  and  long-term  care,  including  through  more  integrated 
digital solutions. 

The Commission concurs with the need to develop strategies for deploying and scaling 
up  innovation  in  future  actions  supporting  digital  transformation  in  health  and  care 
systems and to zoom in on the situation on the ground. 

The  Commission  has  initiated  the  work  in  a  cross-domain  approach  with  a  focus  on 
supporting  large-scale  pilots  and  platform  projects  under  the  Horizon  2020  cluster 
‘Digitisation of European Industries – Large-Scale Pilots on Active and Healthy Living 
(DEI  Healthy  Living)’ (28).  In  support  of  the  implementation  of  next  generation  digital 
platforms  DEI  Healthy  Living  works  along  four  action  lines:  platform  building,  data-
powered  business  ecosystem,  large  scale  piloting  of  reference  architectures  and 
standardisation. 

Furthermore, the new Digital Europe programme (DIGITAL) proposes multiple actions 
to  support  deployment  and  up-take  of  new  solutions,  through  funding  actions  that 
accelerate the  adoption and best  use of digital  technologies,  also  in  the health and  care 
sector, by offering ‘Testing and Experimentation Facilities (TEF)’ and ‘European Digital 
Innovation Hubs’ (EDIH), involving the entire value chain, from both the supply chain 
and  demand-side  perspective.  Combining  service  innovation,  business  innovation  and 
digital  innovation  will  be  crucial  in  realising  the  paradigm  shift  to  focussing  on  and 
investing more in prevention and healthy living to empower people to take care of their 
health and make well-informed health choices. 

The deployment and scaling up of innovation for better delivery of health and care to the 
ageing  population 
in  several  Council 
in  Member  States  has  been  prompted 
Recommendations. 

In October 2020, the Council adopted Conclusions on Human Rights, Participation and 
Well-Being of Older Persons in the Era of Digitalisation (29) calling on Member States to 

(26)  See footnote 13. 

(27)  https://ec.europa.eu/reform-support/towards-person-centred-integrated-care_en 

(28)  https://www.opendei.eu/ and https://www.opendei.eu/healthcare-sector/ 

(29)  https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-11717-2020-REV-2/en/pdf 

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promote  active  and  healthy  ageing  –  including  by  using  the  positive  impact  of  digital 
technologies  in  public  services.  It  also  invited  the  Commission  to  continue  to  support 
Member  States  in  actions  focussing  on  digitalisation;  as  well  as  to  empower  older 
persons to use digital technologies to better monitor their health independently. 

Furthermore, the Council Conclusion on Demographic Challenges – the Way Ahead (30) 
called  on  Member  States  to  address  demographic  challenges  and  explore  how 
digitalisation  and  welfare  technology  can  be  better  integrated  into  care  services  to 
improve the accessibility and delivery of services. 

In 2021, the Council Conclusions on Mainstreaming Ageing in Public Policies (31) were 
adopted,  and  in  September  2022  the  Council  Recommendation  on  access  to  affordable 
high-level  long-term  care (32)  recommended  that  Member  States  roll  out  accessible, 
innovative  technology  and  digital  solutions  for  providing  care  services,  including  to 
support independent living. 

In  addition,  strategic  digital  R&I  priority  areas  are  embedded  in  the  different  thematic 
clusters  of  the  Horizon  Europe  research  and  innovation  framework  programme  (2021-
2027) - such as cluster 1 Health, which strongly supports digital technologies. 

Elderly people should be empowered by digital technologies, be able to trust them and be 
encouraged  to  use  them  to  age  well.  The  Commission  will  continue  to  support  ‘Active 
and Healthy  Living in the Digital World’ (33) and the growing silver economy, through 
its R&I activities, policies and partnerships, ecosystem and community-building support 
as  well  as  through  its  European  Care  Strategy  and  the  Flagship  Technical  Support 
Instrument on Integrated Care, making sure that  these will benefit the European ageing 
population. 

5.  CONCLUSIONS 

The COVID-19 pandemic changed Europe  and the world  within the blink of an eye.  It 
clearly demonstrated the importance - and significantly accelerated the uptake - of digital 
services  in  our  society.  This  will  leave  a  lasting  impact  on  the  way  we  live  and  work, 
with the ubiquitous presence of digital technologies. 

The pandemic showed us how health, wellbeing, and social inclusion are intertwined and 
often  overlapping.  We  need  to  rethink  policies  and  practices  providing  for  and 
intervening in wider sectors of society, including traditional and new stakeholders. 

The  final  evaluation  report  for  AAL2  documents  the  positive  impact  of  the  EU  and 
participating states joining forces to tackle the ‘Silver Deal’ challenge Europe is facing at 
all  levels  and  to  encourage  the  wider  ecosystem  to  further  tap  into  the  energy  of  this 
‘alliance of early movers’ to promote technological and social innovation for ageing well 
in Europe. 

(30)  https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-8668-2020-INIT/en/pdf 

(31)  https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-6976-2021-INIT/en/pdf 

(32)  COM(2022) 441 final. 

(33)  https://futurium.ec.europa.eu/en/active-and-healthy-living-digital-world  

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The Commission believes that the swift deployment of innovative digital health and care 
solutions  can  best  be  achieved  by  working  together  at  EU  level,  sharing  experience  in 
deploying,  measuring  impact  and  transferring  innovation  across  Member  States  and 
regions, including border regions. At the same time, it is clear that there is no one-size-
fits-all approach. Policymaking across all levels will need to zoom in on the reality on the 
ground  and  adapt  accordingly  to  regional  differences.  The  active  engagement  of  all 
parties  is  essential  if  we  are  to  succeed  in  creating  a  ‘triple  win’  that  benefits  people, 
health systems and the market. 

The  European  Parliament  and  Council  are  invited  to  give  their  opinion  on  the  report’s 
analysis  and  recommendations,  and  to  support  the  implementation  of  future  action  on 
digital innovation in active and healthy ageing. 

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