Description of the SEAS 2 Grow project

The Interreg 2 Seas SEAS 2 Grow project (2016-2021) aims at promoting the emergence of innovative products and solutions designed to support and maintain of the autonomy of the elderly. To do this, La Vie Active is cooperating with other stakeholders of the silver economy, i.e. the French, Belgian, Dutch and British ageing well sector such as: medical social establishments, sectoral agencies, companies and researchers specialized in this sector.

The SEAS 2 Grow partners create, test and evaluate a method to enable the development of the silver economy in a more targeted way, i.e. more in line with the needs and expectations of older people. This project also aims at setting a strategy to sustain the roll-out of this method at the European level, through the strengthened collaboration between regional authorities and public services in charge of ageing people in the 4 EU member States mentioned above.

Review of the main activities undertaken by La Vie Active:

• Creating a cross-border accelerator of the silver economy

The project partners have created the AgeTech accelerator, an organisation providing Living labs services, which are open spaces promoting the interaction between researchers, companies and the main stakeholders of the silver economy (incl. professionals of the medical and social sector) and the elderly. The SEAS 2 Grow project also includes the creation of a show room with a living lab approach dedicated to maintaining the autonomy of the elderly in the EU Member State involved in the project: one in the United Kingdom, one in Belgium, one in Netherlands, and one in France (in the independent living home at Marles-Les-Mines).

Since its beginning in 2016, around 120 companies proposing innovative products, services and solutions for the elderly have joined the International AgeTech network. All these start-ups were selected by a jury composed of current AgeTech members, including La Vie Active. Once selected, the AgeTech members gave them access to Living Lab services: they can test their innovation, sometimes at the stage of prototypes, in real-life conditions for a period ranging from one week to several months, with elderly volunteers, following a testing protocol supervised by professionals of the ageing well sector, in different cultural contexts. According to their needs, the AgeTech can also offer co-creation sessions with the elderly and/or professionals of ageing well sector to improve their products.

Researchers can be associated to testing protocol and co-creation sessions to measure: the impact of the solutions tested on the autonomy of the elderly, their satisfaction level as well as the informal carers and professionals’ satisfaction with the view to improve the proposed solution and meet their needs and expectations.

For more details, you can visit the AgeTech accelerator website.

• Defining a common strategy to sustain the AgeTech accelerator’s Living labs

The SEAS 2 Grow strategy take the following form:

• A market study of the silver economy in the 2 seas area mainly targeting companies which are wondering why, where and how trading new products in France, Belgium, Netherland and United Kingdom
• A toolbox or ‘strategic guide’ for companies to develop and trade more specialised and adapted products that better meet the needs and expectations of elderly
• Recommendations for all the stakeholders of the silver economy especially the decision makers and institutional partners for the development of the silver economy in the 2 seas area

This latter point is a major challenge because we need to find an economic model allowing the sustainability of the AgeTech. This is challenging for the partner organisations that have different social and economic contexts ways of getting funded depending on their country. This is why we organize workshops gathering the AgeTech members and public/private funders according to national contexts to define new common economic models.

After four years and a half of cross-boarder cooperation, the Interreg 2 Seas SEAS 2 Grow project is coming to an end. But La Vie Active continues its collaboration with all its European partners with the creation of the AgeTech accelerator international, allowing to keep innovating for the autonomy of elderly.

You can upload the documents mentioned above by clicking on this link.

Les partenaires opérateurs du projet

The Clubster NSL (Lead Partner of SEAS 2 Grow) is the first professional network of industries, research and care, engaged in the health and nutrition innovation sector in Hauts-de-France.

Eurasanté is an economic development agency in the Hauts-de-France region, engaged in the technology transfer and the economic development of the Biological health and Nutrition. The regional network includes around 1000 firms working in this sector. Eurasanté supports French or foreign companies that would like to develop their activities or settle themselves in the Hauts-de-France market. Eurasanté provides support in several areas: access to public funds, seeking for premises, administrative procedures, support for recruitment, market study, etc.

La Vie Active is a key actor of the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) that keeps developing itself to better support its members/users facing difficulties in their daily lives.

Its active commitment addresses all the fields of action of the Health and Social Care sector. La Vie Active mainly targets children, adults, dependent elderly persons, as well as people with disabilities and vulnerable people.

Tante Louise is a Dutch medical and social establishment gathering several independent living homes.

Pioneered social finance bonds, over E100M since 1999, ALLIA (United Kingdom) is an expert in the creation and support to companies and incubation center. ALLIA is part of the Eastern British network including SMEs, investors and big companies.

Anglia Ruskin University is one of the largest universities in the East of England. In 2017 the Times Higher Education named it as the only university in the UK to be a ‘rising star’, predicted to challenge the global elite by 2030. Anglia Ruskin University works with 2000+ businesses and supports 120 start-ups. It has a MedTech Campus with 600 SMEs, a Medical Business Innovation Centre, and expertise in the technical, clinical, business and health and social care dimensions of Silver Economy innovations. Its Smart Living Accelerator is a node in the SEAS 2 Grow Silver Economy accelerator.

Thomas More University of Applied Sciences is the second largest University of Applied Sciences in Flanders. With 11 campuses over 7 locations we reach out to more than 13000 students. Thomas More is one of the funding partners of LiCalab, which leads the setup of the Silver Economy Accelerator within SEAS 2 Grow. LiCalab supports businesses and organisations in the health and care sector by testing and validating innovations with end users, in their own living environment. LiCalab focuses on technological innovations, nutritional concepts, exercise and revalidation, mental health and informal care.

Smart Homes has 17 years’ experience in developing and deploying smart home technology, smart living concepts and e-health, particularly aiming at Sliver Economy, home care and integrated care. Facilitating a living lab in the Netherlands has proven to be essential.

Stichting Care Innovation Center West-Brabant (CIC) is a Living Lab based in the South West of the Netherlands working in partnership with Smart Homes as a combined SEAS2Grow Dutch Living Lab.  CIC supports businesses and organisations in the health, welfare and care sector by testing and validating their innovations with end users.   CIC also pilot and implement innovations with key partners offering potential routes to market in health(care), governmental organisations, and insurance companies. CIC has a good relationship with the Dutch government and a strong track record of accelerating products and services to the national and international market.

Associated project partners

The city of Lille (FR), M comme Mutuelle (FR), Provincie Antwerpen (NL), Gemeente Aalkmar (NL), Essex County Council (UK), Greater Cambridge & Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership (UK)

Main features of the SEAS 2 Grow project

Duration of the project: 54 months (from 01/09/2016 to 28/02/2021)

Overall budget forecast (9 partners): 3 277 471,02 €

Overall budget forecast of La Vie Active: 215 483,38 €

A project co-funded by the European cross-border cooperation programme Interreg 2 Seas – European Regional Development Fund (60%), that is for La Vie Active: 129 290,03 €

Find out more information about the SEAS 2 Grow projects’ website.

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