The Ambient Assisted Living joint programme (AAL) article 185

The CNSA in collaboration with ANR and in association with AAL joint programme (AAL JP) are launching the 6th call for proposals entitled “ICT-based Solutions for supporting occupation in life of Older Adults”. 

The aim of the AAL Joint Programme is to provide innovative ICT-based solutions including products, systems or services to enhance older adults’ quality of life and to strengthen the industrial base in Europe. Projects funded under the AAL Joint Programme shall address identified wishes and needs of the end-users, and shall be transnational, collaborative and cost-shared between private and public funding. The AAL JP aims at innovative and ICT-based solutions delivered by applied research and development activities, which are financially sustainable and underpinned by a credible business case. AAL projects should aim at introducing their solution to the market maximum 2-3 years after finalisation of the project. Funding contracts of individual project partners are concluded with the relevant national funding authority.

The AAL JP is thus a demand-driven research and development funding programme for innovative ICT-based products, services, and systems. The main goal is improving the autonomy, participation in social life, skills, and employability of older adults. The AAL JP is a common funding activity driven by 22 Partner States with the financial support of the European Commission, based on the article 185 of the European Union Treaty. Therefore, project proposals submitted for funding to the AAL JP should have a European dimension (i.e. the proposed project cannot be accomplished in equal quality on an individual national level) and solutions shall be adaptable across Europe. Furthermore, the solution should address end-user needs that are transnational and European in character. As cultural, organisational, and market diversity are important for the uptake of ICT-solutions, proposals are encouraged to take these factors into account and include them in their pilot activities.

6th call objectives

Call 6 aims at the development of ICT-based solutions which enable and sustain older adults to continue their occupation. Occupation in the context of this Call is defined as paid and unpaid activity that results in benefit for the community, society and economy.

Please note that the conditions for funding French participants are very restrictive. The research proposals should address the ICT-based Solutions for supporting occupation in life of frail Older Adults or those with reduced autonomy to be eligible for funding. The applicants are encourage to contact the French contact points in order to make sure that their research proposition can be funded in the frame of this call.

The application areas can be, but are not limited to:

• Developing, adapting and/or re-designing the place of occupation to age-specific conditions to sustain occupational health, while coping with the specific environmental conditions
• Coping strategies or processes (e.g. stress or time management) and technologies (e.g. for handling heavy or small things) that can help older adults adapt physically and cognitively with their tasks (e. g. at work, in community activities or voluntary organisations) maintain their quality of life and envisage the work-life balance
• Training devices according to physical capacities and usability demands, in/outdoors
• Addressing intergene¬rational knowledge transfer to use skills and competencies based on experience

For more information on the areas which are within the scope of the present Call 6, please refer to the chapter entitled “Description of the Call” at http://www.aal-europe.eu/get-involved/calls/call-6-supporting-occupation-in-life-for-older-adults/.

Characteristics of the expected projects