Demographic change constitutes a societal challenge for Europe, but also offers new opportunities for innovation, growth and jobs particularly in ICT innovation and the digital economy. The Digital Single Market can transform demographic change into a triple-win for Europe; an opportunity to improve the quality of life of our ageing population, to move towards more sustainable health and care systems and to create economic growth and jobs in the Silver Economy.

Our collective ability to seize this opportunity will require global collaboration and a shared-vision amongst Europe's civil society, industry leaders, innovators, public authorities and policy makers. The 2016 Innovation Summit is designed to harness the transformative potential of the Digital Single Market across different sectors of our society and economy, develop joint actions and ultimately maximise the benefits of digital innovation for Europe's ageing society.

Objectives

The event will build on the achievements on the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy ageing (EIP AHA), past and current research & innovation in Horizon 2020, the Active and Assisted Living Joint Programme with Member States and the EIT-KIC on healthy living and active ageing. It intends to mobilise the relevant stakeholders around a common vision for scaling up innovation in Health and Active Ageing, the agenda for jobs and growth, strengthening the co-creation across national and regional authorities, civil society, and industry on creating scalable market opportunities within Europe and Globally. In particular high growth-potential areas such as ICT supported independent living and age-friendly smart homes, social robotics, digitally supported integrated health and social care services will be targeted.

Who will attend?

The 2016 Summit will also include an international audience (guests from Government of Japan, Canada and USA) building on the 2016 G7 Ministerial (ICT Ministers), representatives from the World Health Organisation and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The 2016 Summit will be preceded by an International Innovation Forum on Active and Healthy Ageing), building on the 2016 G7 Ministerial meeting of ICT Ministers In Japan. The associated international audience is expected to also join the European summit, including guests from Governments, Industry, international organisations and NGOs.

Structure of the Summit

5 December:

The EU with the Government of Japan will organise the Global Cooperation event that will be dedicated to discussing strategies to strengthen international collaboration on innovation for active and healthy ageing and the global Silver economy. It will build on the conclusions of the G7 ICT ministers meeting in April in Japan and ongoing cooperation of the EU with the UN, WHO, OECD and G7 countries. It will be an invitation-only inter-governmental event with the aim to launch focused global cooperation actions on innovation in health and active ageing.

6 December:

There will be a high level policy and strategy event, designed to take forward the recommendations made by stakeholders within the framework of the Blueprint on the Digital Transformation of health and care. The discussions will inform a high level EU vision on how digital innovation can transform health and care for the ageing society, creating economic growth and jobs in the Silver Economy.

7 December:

Devoted to the role of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (Conference of Partners of the EIP on AHA), in particular how the partnership will evolve to support the scaling up of digital innovation and the way forward in the 2016-2018 Action Group activities, welcoming the 850 new organisations that responded to the 2016 call for commitments. There will also be a specific focus on the over 80 Reference Sites applications received in the 2016 Call for Reference Sites.

8 December:

Dedicated to events / workshops organised by Summit partner organisations in different venues in Brussels (eg. COCIR eHealth Conference).

Expected Outcomes

• Mobilised stakeholders and policymakers to support delivery of actions agreed as part of the shared-vision (Blueprint on Digital Transformation of health and care)
• Clearly identified growth areas enabled by cross-portfolio policy actions and leading to scaling up of digital innovation for active and healthy ageing in Europe
• Further impetus to G7/Global cooperation in the field of digital innovation for active and healthy ageing and the Silver Economy

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Source: DG R&I