Each year, we issue a call designed to reflect the key challenges we face as a society with an ageing population, from helping older people stay more socially active to providing support to those with dementia.

Projects are then funded according to specific criteria, including the need for significant involvement by SMEs and industry, a realistic timeframe for trialling and commercialising the product or service being developed, the inclusion of organisations from at least three different countries, and the involvement of older people in the co-creation of these solutions. See How to Apply for Funding

Once we have funded a project, we aim to support it as much as we can to help it achieve success. Our AAL2Business programme provides free resources and access to experts to help projects make the transition to becoming a viable business, and our Market Observatory provides key insights into the growing market for healthy ageing products.

We are active in the wider world of active and healthy ageing, and have many partnerships across the sector that support older people and help to increase activity in the healthy ageing market. This includes ongoing work with EIP AHA and Age Europe as well as the coordination of our Smart Ageing Prize. See Ageing Well Universe.

Every year, we bring together all of the people who are important to us, from industry and academia to care providers and the older people themselves for our annual AAL Forum, a vibrant and exciting event that showcases the Programme’s many successful projects and the products and services they have developed to support older people. Through interactive workshops and vibrant debate, the forum also helps drive the healthy ageing agenda.