The Senior Eco-Nect Project began on July 19th, 2022, and concluded with final results on June 30th, 2024.
The Handbook and Policy Recommendations:
To better understand the silver economy ecosystems and their challenges, Senior Eco-Nect partners conducted:
6 working groups on different themes (e.g. public policies, senior nutrition), forming the basis for Policy Recommendations and partly for the Handbook.
4 ecosystem visits in Arras, Cork, Ljubljana, and Santiago.
Mapping of the Ecosystems:
We established a Senior Eco-Nect dataspace to store project files and information, including questionnaires and their responses. The Interactive Mapping and SWOT questionnaire are accessible there for the project team. The interactive map page design prioritizes accessibility and inclusivity, allowing users to click, filter by sector, and offering a color contrast option. The questionnaire is available in Spanish and English. A total of 157 solutions are registered and represented in the mapping.
SWOT Analysis:
We produced a regional survey analyzed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the senior innovation ecosystem across various sectors, contributing to the Handbook (WP2) and Stakeholder Outreach Strategy (WP3). Informed by the SWOT analysis and other EU senior economy studies, a Market Study detailed the silver economy ecosystem at the EU level, identifying challenges and opportunities, and emphasizing collaboration. Based on these findings, partners developed a strategy to address challenges and leverage opportunities for a sustainable European silver ecosystem, guiding the Joint Action Plan (WP5) and benefiting external organizations.
Joint Action Plan:
The knowledge and expertise gained in previous work packages informed the Joint Action Plan. An outline was created, discussed, and enriched by all partners. Presented during the Senior Eco-Nect Summit in June 2024, the plan is supported by 36 partner organizations through letters of support.
Outcomes
4 silver economy ecosystems committed to a joint action plan
37 new stakeholders across the quadruple helix identified to be part of silver economy ecosystems
16 public authorities took part in the project’s activities
6 transversal areas, beyond the scope of health and care, integrated in silver economy (nutrition, sports, tourism & hospitality, housing, education, smart/tech)
1 strategy for applying to calls to fund the Joint Action Plan