Healthy Working environments for all Ages: An evidence-driven framework

Project Information

WAge

Grant agreement ID: 101137207

DOI

10.3030/101137207

EC signature date 14 November 2023

Start date 1 December 2023

End date 30 November 2027

Funded under

• Health

Total cost

€ 5 442 312,50

EU contribution

€ 5 442 312,00

Coordinated by

SINTEF AS
Norway

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - WAge (Healthy Working environments for all Ages: An evidence-driven framework)

Reporting period: 2023-12-01 to 2025-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The WAge project aims to develop and validate a pioneering framework for assessing and understanding the roles and interactions between musculoskeletal health and psychosocial work environment factors across different age groups. This will be achieved through robust modelling and the gathering of policy-relevant evidence. The project's overarching goal is to lay the foundation for the design, implementation, and validation of effective multi-level intervention strategies and policy changes for workers of all ages, both at the individual and organisational levels.

The project addresses a question of high societal relevance, particularly timely given the expected increase in the proportion of employees facing adverse physical and psychosocial work environments as organisations, businesses, and workers adapt to post-pandemic working conditions in an ageing Europe. WAge introduces a concept that focuses on factors related to the health and overall well-being of workers across age groups.

A key objective of the proposed action is to generate integral, policy-relevant evidence crucial for the improvement and updating of occupational health, aligning with the objectives of the HORIZON Europe call. In the WAge project, the gathering and utilisation of evidence within decision-making spaces will prioritise representation and accountability in policymaking. This approach involves incorporating multiple perspectives and knowledge through democratic participation throughout the project, from data collection and management to analysis and implementation.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project has made measurable progress towards its interdisciplinary scientific objectives. The project has conducted participatory research to engage the full range of stakeholders, it has developed a conceptual foundation to identify relevant policies, practices and responsible actors in support of evidence-informed policy change, it has established a data space solution, and it has finished collecting data necessary to assess musculoskeletal health and psychosocial work environment factors. These assessments will inform the modelling of work environment conditions across age groups and their interactions, serving as the foundation for developing the Wage Index, an integral part of the WAge framework. These are the key scientific achievements in P1:

• A participatory research governance framework
• An inventory of participatory research methods
• A training course on participatory research methods
• 4 conceptual foundation papers, of which 3 are published in Open Research Europe
• An occupational health data space
• Physical and psychosocial data collected for Study A in Spain, Portugal and Poland

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project is generating foundational outputs that will support future uptake and implementation of occupational health innovations across EU workplaces. While the framework, intervention designs, and policy engagement components are still under development, several early results are laying the groundwork for future impact:

• A participatory research governance framework that ensures stakeholder involvement and relevance.
• A FAIR-compliant Data Management Plan (DMP) and a structured dataset (completed in M19), enabling future reuse by researchers, public authorities, and industry.
• The establishment of an Occupational Health Data Space to support secure, privacy-compliant data sharing during validation and beyond.

The framework to be completed in P3 will guide workplaces in identifying and implementing effective, age-sensitive interventions. These will include measures to reduce exposure to risk factors, support recovery, and enable earlier or sustained return to work, ultimately contributing to reduced absenteeism and improved workforce participation across age groups.

To ensure further short-term uptake and success, the following indicative needs have been identified:

• Further research and demonstration activities to validate the index and support framework development
• Application of effective participatory practices and policy engagement to co-design interventions and generate actionable evidence for policy
• IPR and data governance support to ensure ethical and sustainable use of project outputs, particularly the Data Space and Index.
• International collaboration among project partners, stakeholders, and cluster initiatives to promote cross-border and cross-disciplinary innovation in occupational health research and policymaking.
• Capacity-building and dissemination strategies to equip stakeholders with the knowledge and tools needed for implementing health-promoting workplace interventions.

These enablers will be critical in P3, when co-development and deployment of interventions with stakeholders will begin. The project’s conceptual work on systems leadership and policy engagement will also support strategic navigation of EU policy processes and enhance the long-term impact of the framework.