Brussels, 17/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 16 December, the European Commission presented a report on the progress of the Ambient Assisted Living joint programme (AAL JP) which highlights very high levels of involvement by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in projects, strong levels of financial support by participating countries and recommendations to ensure ongoing positive results. This €600 million research and development funding programme involves 23 countries and the EU to improve the quality of life of senior citizens through smart ICT-based solutions. “Information and communications technologies are crucial to improving the lives of the growing number of Europe's senior citizens. The AAL programme demonstrates how, by pooling our resources, the EU can achieve far more in this important area than individual member states ever could,” said Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes.
The Commission's first assessment of the AAL joint programme is based on the conclusions of a high level panel which reviewed the AAL JP against the wider context of innovation responding to demographic challenges. The report indicates that the joint programme has been very successful in uniting the 23 participating countries around a pressing societal challenge and filling a gap between advanced research and large-scale market roll-out solutions for active and independent living. The AAL JP success is also enhanced by the substantial level of financial investment by participating countries. In 2009, this was 50% more than the minimum level originally planned. Another decisive indicator of success is the very strong participation of SMEs in project consortia (more than 40%). The programme develops new solutions that are ready for use on the market within two to three years. More than 50 research and innovation projects in the areas of chronic disease management and social interaction of seniors have been launched since 2008. To maximise the programme's positive output, the Commission recommends: 1) closer and more meaningful involvement of end-users when solutions are being designed; 2) more consistent eligibility and financing rules to minimise operational hiccups and delays that sometimes affect the smooth progress of projects. The Commission will also work to set up financing arrangements to bridge the gap between the pilot phase and large market uptake. On the basis of this report, the Commission will now hold discussions with the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers on the next steps in implementing these proposed initiatives and the continuation of the programme beyond its initial expiry date of 2013.
The Commission report and the evaluation report by the expert panel are available at: ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/einclusion/research/aal/interim_review/index_en.htm. (I.L./transl.rt)