The European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Living (EIP on AHL)

The European Commission initiated The European Innovation Partnership (EIP) with the purpose of strengthening Europe’s competitiveness and tackling societal challenges through research and innovation.

The partnership unites key stakeholders at EU, national, and regional levels across various policy areas to address specific societal challenges and engage all levels of the innovation chain.

The partnership was launched in 20211 and the Region of Southern Denmark has been an active participant since 2012. Originally, the partnership focused on Active and Healthy Ageing (AHA) but has since been re-named to expand its focus to Active and Healthy Living reflecting that healthy ageing must be addressed early in life. 

The EIP on AHL focuses on demographic change and promotes active and healthy living across Europe. Active and healthy living is acknowledged as a significant societal challenge and represents an area where Europe has the potential to lead globally through innovative solutions.

Objectives for the EIP on AHL partnership

The partnership aims to promote healthy and active living by:

• Improving the health and quality of life of Europeans.
• Supporting the long-term sustainability and efficiency of health and social care systems.
• Enhancing the competitiveness of EU industry through business and expansion in new markets.

Purpose of Region of Southern Denmark’s participation 

For the Region of Southern Denmark, participation in the EIP on AHL is an important part of our international efforts.

The goal is to bring international knowledge and innovation to the region and involve partners across South Denmark in international partnerships and EU projects, as well as to promote the region’s expertise in health and digital health. 

The region aims to expand and enhance existing solutions and initiatives in the healthcare sector by elevating them to a European level. This may include evaluating and validating existing solutions, testing new solutions, or scaling up existing ones.

As a reference site, the region focuses on a "Quadruple Helix" approach ensuring that all relevant stakeholders in the regional ecosystem (health and social care providers, researchers and academia, industry, and civil society) benefit from the partnership. 

Region of Southern Denmark as a front-runner 

In all the recent programme periods of EIP on AHL, the Region of Southern Denmark has been awarded the position of reference site with the highest number of stars.

In 2019, the Region of Southern Denmark became a 4-star reference site and was awarded a Certificate of Excellence. The Certificate of Excellence was given to honour the region’s long-term efforts to strengthen a cohesive healthcare sector, focusing on digitalising the cooperation between municipalities and the general practice. 

The EIP on AHL is a valuable platform for the continued discussions and actions towards active and healthy living in Europe.