Last week’s partner meeting in Leuven represented a significant milestone in the ACE project’s ongoing collaborative efforts. Hosted by LiCalab and featuring a foreword from lead partner RISE, the meeting focused on the internal seminar, aptly named, 'From Needs to Solutions.'
The meeting kicked off with a warm welcome from meeting host LiCalab, followed by a foreword from lead partner RISE. Together they underscored the central element of the meeting: the ACE consortium’s internal seminar, ‘From Needs to Solutions’.
This seminar was the culmination of extensive preparatory work, drawing upon valuable insights from ACE’s previous international workshops. These events methodically identified a range of challenges pertinent to the project’s mission, particularly in the realm of homecare within the North Sea (NS) area. These workshops managed to attract a large number of relevant stakeholders from near and far:
9 Workshops in 5 countries:
- Sweden (RISE, innovation Skåne): Höganäs, Lund
- Denmark: Aarhus, Vesthimmerland
- Netherlands (HAN, OostNL): Nijmegen, Apeldoorn
- Belgium (LiCalab): Turnhout
- France (BSB, CoWork’Hit): Rennes, Ploemeur
193 participants from 5 stakeholder groups:
- 29 Government
- 42 SMEs/Solution providers
- 46 Older adults/informal carers
- 26 Academics
- 50 Care organisations
All the valuable insights from these events were the focal point of discussions during the partner meeting in Leuven. The first segment involved a rigorous analysis of the common home care challenges in the North Sea area,with partners delving into their shared experiences and obstacles. Furthermore, the workshop adopted an experiential approach, integrating a 30-minute walk wherein participants were directly exposed to various real-world challenges. This approach successfully bridged the gap between theoretical discussions and practical scenarios, enhancing the relevance and applicability of the workshop content. The participants, equipped with pre-distributed materials in envelopes, were able to directly correlate the identified challenges with the outlined needs.
During the remainder of the event, the ACE partners either took part in workshops related to Work Packages 1 and 3, or attended a field visit to Health-house Leuven. The latter showcased some of the leading technology trends in healthcare, offering a glimpse into what the future of healthcare could look like in just a few years. The visit was of great inspiration to the ACE partners, as it corresponds with the project’s ambition to shape the future of home care.
In summary, the ACE Project partner meeting in Leuven was a crucial event, characterised by its in-depth analysis and integrative approach to addressing home care challenges in the NS area. The discussions and activities were firmly rooted in the extensive groundwork laid by prior international events, ensuring that the workshop outcomes were both well-informed and contextually relevant. This meeting not only deepened our understanding of regional challenges but also reinforced the collaborative framework essential for the project’s future endeavours.
