The European population is aging, which means that the number of people over 65 is increasing. Aging as a trend tends to make us face numerous social changes and challenges that need to be addressed adequately. At the same time, this trend also means growth and jobs, as there is great potential for businesses to offer innovative solutions for home care.
8 partners from Cyprus, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, Hungary, Portugal and the Czech Republic launched the HoCare project "Innovative solutions for home care by strengthening cooperation in regional innovation chains" on 1 April 2016. Leading partner is the Agency for Development Nicosia (ANEL) from Cyprus.
The project will last for 4 years (April 2016 - March 2020) and was approved under the INTERREG EUROPE program, financed by the European Regional Development Fund and co-financed by the Bulgarian national budget.
The main objective of the INTERREG EUROPE 2014-2020 program is to continue the process of experience sharing and policy-making between public authorities to improve the implementation of Objective 1 "Investments for growth and jobs" policies and programs.
The program allows public authorities and public-sector organizations and non-profit-making private-sector organizations engaged in regional development across Europe to exchange practices and ideas for implementing public policies, thus finding solutions to improve their strategies to the benefit of citizens in line with the Europe 2020 priorities for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.
INTERREG Europe helps regional and local authorities across Europe to develop and deliver better policies.
The HoCare project deals with the problems of aging. It aims to improve the implementation of regional development policies and programs that support the delivery of innovation by participants in regional innovation chains.
The HoCare project aims to positively influence the effectiveness and impact of structural funds on local policies. It has three additional sub-objectives related to home care innovations in regional innovation chains. The first sub-goal is to focus on generating innovations by solving unsatisfied so far needs identified by stakeholder groups in the so- (including hospitals, social homes, social services providers), but also state institutions, academia, business and non-governmental sectors.The second sub-goal is to focus on generating innovation through a four-spiral model (including formal care institutions promotion of processes at the public level The third objective is to shorten the path of applicable innovative home care solutions to the market by re-using the four-spiral approach.
The results will be achieved mainly through the processes of a very far-reaching study at the international level of policies in partner countries. Initially, the partners will prepare a Regional Analysis, further discussed during 3 international thematic seminars. It will formulate 30 best practices to be transferred, which will allow the formulation of new policies in the field of home care. Other policy results will be the three thematic reports and three reports on the transfer of policies in the field of home care. The results and the accumulated knowledge will contribute to the processes of mutual learning in the EU and to the improvement of policies through the organization of two international events and eight training events at the national level. Local partners will work closely with various stakeholders in different areas of home care, as well as the Structural Funds contracting authorities in partner countries.
The Bulgarian partner is Business Agency Association, a budget of 124399.00 euro for the entire project period of four years. More information can be obtained on the project website http://www.interregeurope.eu/hocare or here, on the website of vba.bg. The other partners are the Center for Development from the Heart of Slovenia, the National Institute for Research and Development of Informatics - Romania, the Lithuanian Center for Innovation, the Center for National Healthcare - Hungary, the Business Development Institute of the Autonomous Region of Madeira - Portugal, the Innovation Center DEKS - Czech Republic.
