The Region of Southern Denmark - Excellent Innovators within Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA)

In 2019, on top of the 4 stars, the Region of Southern Denmark, along with only 5 other regions in Europe, was awarded a “Certificate of excellence” in recognition of our “outstanding work in driving regional innovation in active and healthy ageing, improving the quality of life of the ageing population, making health and social care delivery more sustainable and stimulating economic growth and competitiveness”.

What is the EIP on AHA?

The European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) was initiated in 2011 by the European Commission. The purpose was to create a voluntary collaboration form where municipalities, regions, private companies, organisations, educational institutions and others could work together to solve the future challenges in the health and care field and increase the healthy life years in Europe.

In the 2019 Call for Reference Sites, 103 regional and local ecosystems were awarded Reference Site status in the EIP on AHA. Reference sites are local/regional ecosystems that inspire each other in delivering innovative and useful solutions that improve the lives and health of older people. As ecosystems they include partners representing the quadruple helix, i.e. from industry, civil society, academia and government authorities. The ecosystems are lead by regional organisations committed to investing in innovation for active and healthy ageing, and they share their innovative solutions and examples of positive impact and support transfer and up-scaling of these solutions through the EIP on AHA network.

The South Denmark Ecosystem

The South Denmark Ecosystem is coordinated by the Health Innovation Centre of Southern Denmark on behalf of the Region of Southern Denmark. The coalition partners in the ecosystem are:

Government/Health Providers:

• The Region of Southern Denmark:
  • Regional Development
  • Health Innovation Centre
  • Odense University Hospital
  • Hospital of Southern Jutland
  • Hospital of South West Jutland
  • Lillebaelt Hospital
  • Psychiatric hospital
  • Psychiatric Services
  • Cross-Sector Collaboration Department
  • General Practice Department.
• Municipalities:
  • 22 municipalities
  • The NIMS Network for International Employees in South Denmark municipalities.
• WHINN – Week of Health and INNovation.

Industry:

• South Denmark European Office
• Welfare Tech
• Healthcare DENMARK
• Enterprise Europe Network
• MedCom.

Research and Academia:

• University of Southern Denmark
• UCL University College
• University College Syd
• Center for Innovative Medical Technology (CIMT).

Civil society:

• The Diabetes Association
• The Heart Association
• eHealth City Svendborg
• Multiple User panels (patients and relatives).

Across all of these partners, there is a strong focus on collaboration to enable the digital transformation of health and care, to utilize public-private collaboration and to evaluate and scale-up successful solutions.

Across all of these partners, there is a strong focus on collaboration to enable the digital transformation of health and care, to utilize public-private collaboration and to evaluate and scale-up successful solutions.

The Goal of our EIP on AHA Initiatives

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

The goal is to bring international knowledge and innovation to the region and involve partners from South Denmark in international partnerships and EU projects, as well as to promote the region’s health and assisted living technology companies and efforts. At the same time, the participation in EIP on AHA is a way to gain better access to the European Commission and thereby to influence future intiatives to reflect the needs of the reference sites.