Client / Funding programme:

COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action CA19136

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.

Start and end dates:
2020 – 2024

Website: net4age.eu

AFEdemy role in the project:

Willeke van Staalduinen is the Vice-Chair and AFEdemy the grant holder of this COST Action.

☒ Coordination
☐ Research
☐ Training
☐ Curriculum development
☐ e-Learning Platform
☒ Networking
☒ Policy recommendation

Objectives

• Its aim is to foster awareness, and to support the creation and implementation of smart, healthy indoor and outdoor environments for present and future generations.
• NET4Age-Friendly further aims to overcome fragmentation and critical gaps at both conceptual and pragmatic innovation level on responsive, age-friendly and sustainable environments to address European research and policy challenges.
• The main approach of NET4Age-Friendly is the establishment of local or regional ecosystems in each COST country involved, to work on health and well-being in an age-friendly digital world. The ecosystems will consist of citizens, public authorities, businesses/NGOs and researchers. They will be supported by four thematic Working Groups:
  • User-centred inclusive design in age-friendly environments and communities.
  • Integrated health and well-being pathways.
  • Digital solutions and large-scale sustainable implementation.
  • Policy development, funding forecast and cost-benefit evaluations.

Target

Quadruple helix of citizens, researchers, business and public authorities.

Work plan

• NET4Age-Friendly will be used as a connector for involving and hosting regular themed sessions with local and regional stakeholders and users’ representatives from various countries and backgrounds, as well as for fostering the knowledge creation and sharing among researchers. Particular attention will be devoted to promoting the involvement of Early Career Investigators, entrepreneurs and participants from COST Inclusiveness Target Countries.
• The kick-off took take place on October 21 and 22, 2020.
• The Action will run from 2020-2024 and will deliver multiple results.
• The Action will consist of 3 content-related Working Groups: Inclusive Design, Integrated Healthcare and Digital Innovations. Each Working Group will deliver a report on the State of the Art and input to the Reference Framework. The Working Group SHAFE Impact & Sustainability will also deliver a SHAFE impact state of the art report and will further focus on the exploitation and future of SHAFE. The final Working Group is the SHAFE Reference Framework that will deliver overviews of good practices, guidelines and standards on SHAFE. For more information see the Memorandum of Understanding of the NET4Age-Friendly COST Action.

References

• https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA19136
• Memorandum of Understanding of the NET4Age-Friendly COST Action.