Smart Ageing Prize 2018
We are proud to announce that the winner of the second edition of the esteemed Smart Ageing Prize 2018 will be announced at the AAL Forum this year – and it promises to be a very exciting finish to the competition.
The Smart Ageing Prize was established by the AAL Programme in collaboration with Nesta’s Challenge Prize Centre to find technological products and services that help older people actively participate in a social life.
This year, the AAL Forum will announce the winners of the Smart Ageing Prize during the forum’s closing ceremony, where the overall winner will be awarded a top prize of €35,000. There will also be a second-place prize and a judge’s choice prize.
With the theme for 2018, “Products and services that use innovative digital technologies to support older people to participate fully in social life”, the Smart Ageing Prize aims to identify the most promising solutions in Europe that reduce social isolation in the 65-plus market, simulating real world interactions that will keep them healthier for longer.
Judges looked for applications to tick four boxes, for their chance to make it through to the finalist stage. The solutions needed to be:
- Innovative: digital technologies to engage older adults
- Market Ready: Less than 18 months away from entering the market following the prize
- Measurable: Capable of delivering improvements to older adults
- Non-medical Devices: Not open to medical devices or those solely focused on health and care needs
Applications closed in April and since then 15 of the most promising submissions were chosen as semi-finalists. They are currently attending a mentoring academy in Brussels, where they will be receiving coaching and support to develop their business propositions. This detailed business plan is to be submitted to the judges in August, when the top five finalists will be chosen to pitch their projects at the AAL Forum.
To find out who the winners are, make sure you’re at the AAL Forum in Bilbao, Spain and attend the closing ceremony on Wednesday 26 September.