Smart Big Data Platform to Offer Evidence-based Personalised Support for Healthy and Independent Living at Home

Project Information

SMART BEAR

Grant agreement ID: 857172

DOI

10.3030/857172

Project closed

EC signature date 29 August 2019

Start date 1 September 2019

End date 28 February 2025

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Health, demographic change and well-being

Total cost

€ 21 681 288,38

EU contribution

€ 19 993 818,75

Coordinated by

CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 4 - SMART BEAR (Smart Big Data Platform to Offer Evidence-based Personalised Support for Healthy and Independent Living at Home)

Reporting period: 2024-03-01 to 2025-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Europe is facing two major demographic changes: a slowing population growth and a rapidly aging society. By 2060, the number of older people compared to working-age individuals is expected to increase significantly. As people live longer, many also face common age-related health issues such as hearing loss, heart conditions, memory problems, balance difficulties, and mental health challenges. These issues often lead to reduced independence, social isolation, and a lower quality of life. They also increase the strain on public healthcare systems across Europe.
Digital technologies can play an important role in supporting older people to live healthier, more independent lives at home. These tools can monitor health, provide guidance, and help prevent isolation or unnecessary hospital visits. However, many older adults are hesitant to adopt these technologies due to concerns about complexity and privacy.
The Smart Bear project developed an innovative digital platform designed specifically to help older adults manage their health and daily lives more easily and securely. This solution supports healthy and independent living through a user-friendly system that respects privacy and is cost-effective.
The platform offers: i) Continuous monitoring of a person’s health and living environment using everyday smart devices; ii) Helpful feedback and recommendations delivered through simple mobile apps and tools; iii) Advanced data analysis, which helps users and healthcare professionals better understand health conditions and manage them more effectively.
During the project, thousands of users interacted with this system in real-life settings. The results showed that the platform was easy to use, secure, and improved the ability of older people to monitor and manage their health from home. The Smart Bear project has demonstrated that digital health tools can be a powerful way to support aging populations, while also reducing pressure on healthcare systems.

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

Over the course of the project, the Smart Bear consortium successfully completed the development of its digital platform and related health services. It ran five large-scale pilot studies across Europe, collected a vast amount of data, and carried out in-depth analyses to evaluate the platform’s effectiveness.
The Smart Bear system was built to manage data collected from wearable sensors, smart devices, and medical records. From the start, strong emphasis was placed on data protection and privacy, using state-of-the-art technologies and international best practices. Personal data was securely handled at all times, following the Privacy by Design approach, and the system continues to be monitored for compliance.
To ensure the platform could work across different healthcare systems and countries, Smart Bear used international data standards. This makes it easier to share and interpret information safely, and allows healthcare providers to make better use of the data. The platform was also designed to work with information from other EU projects: it can securely receive and process medical data from different sources using automated channels. Thanks to this flexible design, the system can support a wide range of medical needs and continue to evolve beyond the project's lifetime.
The pilot studies were conducted in France, Greece, Italy, Romania, and Portugal, involving over 3,000 older adults (aged 65+). Participants benefited from 24/7 monitoring of their health and home environment, and used user-friendly tools that offered practical feedback and health recommendations.
Smart Bear also introduced advanced artificial intelligence tools capable of understanding how multiple health conditions interact, and how the platform could improve overall well-being. To strengthen our impact and expand access to healthcare, we partnered with other EU initiatives. For example, in Portugal, we worked closely with the Regional Health System of Madeira and the Smart4Health project. In Greece, we collaborated with the Holobalance program to support people with balance disorders.
Overall, Smart Bear demonstrated how digital health solutions can help older adults live more independently, support better decision-making by healthcare providers, and reduce strain on public health systems.

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 Smart Bear project set out with five key goals that aimed to push the boundaries of digital health for older adults:
1. To connect and manage a wide range of smart devices (like wearable sensors and home monitors) in a way that protects user privacy and allows for smooth, real-time data collection.
2. To build a strong and flexible digital infrastructure using open standards, so that the system can evolve as technology changes and continue to work with new types of health tools in the future.
3. To create smart tools that help make sense of complex health data, including spotting unusual patterns, predicting future health issues, and supporting more personalised care.
4. To ensure strong privacy and data protection, by embedding security into the design from the very beginning, following the Privacy by Design principles.
5. To make the system trustworthy and user-friendly, by offering helpful services and explanations of how the technology works, so that people feel confident using it.
Throughout the project, we gathered a large and rich set of information, including health data, biological measurements, personal backgrounds, and environmental conditions. This data doesn’t just look at individual health issues, but shows how different factors interact to influence a person’s overall well-being.
One of our major innovations is the focus on "intrinsic capacity": a person’s physical, mental, and sensory abilities as they age. Instead of only looking at disease, we measured how well people could function in daily life and how this changed over time. This shift from treating illness to supporting ability helps improve health outcomes and reduces pressure on healthcare systems.
As we move into the next phase of the project, we will dive deeper into the data to uncover new insights that can shape better healthcare strategies and improve quality of life for older adults.
The Smart Bear system was designed to adapt to each user’s needs and context. It can recognize both short- and long-term changes in behaviour by analysing patterns over time. Thanks to its open, modular, and privacy-focused design, the system supports better coordination between healthcare professionals and patients, encouraging shared understanding and stronger communication.
By applying artificial intelligence to individual health profiles, Smart Bear goes beyond general statistics and helps tailor care to each person. It brings together clinical knowledge and machine learning to improve the care of people with complex health needs.
In summary, Smart Bear has demonstrated that digital health tools can truly enhance the independence, safety, and quality of life of older adults. The solution is ready to be used more widely across Europe and is flexible enough to meet the healthcare challenges of the future.

Smart Bear team in one of the hospitals of the Pilot of the Pilots, Madeira, Portugal

The Smart Bear bag

Pilot kick off in ROP, Greece

A Smart Bear participant trained for using app and devices

Pilot kick off in Italy

Smart Bear stand in Madeira, Portugal

Pilot kick off in Romania

Pilot kick off in MPF, Greece

Smart Bear Final Event in Madeira, Portugal

Demo in the Smart Bear stand, Madeira, Portugal

Smart Bear at the 51th Pampeloponnisian Expo

Smart Bear at SANTEXPO, France’s largest healthcare exhibition