European Innovation Partnership Pilot Project:
Active and Healthy Ageing Innovation Partnership

Last update: 5th August 2011

Innovation Europe and European Innovation Partnerships

The Innovation Union is one of the seven flagship initiatives of the Europe 2020 Strategy. It aims at improving the conditions and access to finance for research and innovation in Europe, in order to ensure that innovative ideas can be turned into products and services that create growth and jobs. The European Innovation Partnerships (EIP) were designed by the European Commission to tackle specific societal challenges that is shared across the EU through bringing together all relevant actors at EU, national and regional levels, across policy areas and industrial sectors.  

Active and Healthy Ageing Innovation Partnership (AHAIP)

Active and Healthy ageing was chosen as the first Innovation Partnership to tackle demographic change and its socio-economic implications (increasing number of patients, shrinking healthcare workforce…) but also because of the growth potential of innovation in the field of health: 9% of GDP in innovation capacity.

Objectives of AHAIP:

• Bring all stakeholders at all levels together to improve synergies;
• Spot the weaknesses in the current European innovation system and improve the framework conditions for uptake of innovation;
• Collect ideas for future actions in the area of active and healthy ageing.

AHAIP is not a new financial instrument nor programme. It aims to pool together existing expertise and resources/programmes (such as FP7, CIP and structural funds) towards a common objective
The aim of the partnership is to shorten the gap between research and the market: to get the outcomes of research implemented more quickly into our daily lives.

Who is involved?

• European Commission: DG SANCO, DG INFSO, DG RESEARCH, cooperation with other DGs.

How can Regions and AER contribute to AHAIP?

1. Regions have a key role in delivering innovation and should be part of the AHAIP governance structures, as well as key partners in delivering innovation and the objectives of the partnership on the ground.

2. AER believes it is important to formulate an integrated EU policy towards innovation, clearly linking policy priorities to funding instruments, to provide a coherent framework for action. EU funds need to be streamlined and simplified to deliver greater efficiency, value for public money and impact on the ground.

3. AER believes AHAIP should not only invest in creating innovative products and services, but also in creating knowledge, capacity and leadership among regional politicians and officers and supporting change in procedures and mindsets.