The increase in the average age of the European population brings new challenges for hospitals and elderly care services, many of which are difficult to accurately evaluate. This difficulty also spawns from the high number of actors in the so-called “Silver Economy” – the name given to the emerging market for elderly care. Currently the market can be seen as a non-mature sector with fragmented demand and supply, low standards, no market leaders, and other serious issues.

To tackle these challenges and detect the best innovative solutions available on the European market, the HAPPI project (Healthy Ageing - Public Procurement of Innovation) has chosen to implement a “market-oriented” approach through the development of an online platform, in which suppliers are invited to outline their products and services. Since the launch of the platform, over 140 innovative solutions have been brought to the attention of the consortium’s buyers. Most of these solutions are accessible by the general public through the public area of the platform, “Innovation Showcase”.

The success of the HAPPI innovation platform was helped by the organisation of four information days in major European cities: London (UK), Paris (France), Turin (Italy) and Vienna (Austria). These events gathered over 400 participants, mainly SMEs, and helped buyers to research the market, raise awareness and open the dialogue between demand and supply-side.

For more information, click here.