EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Ian Spero Rafael de Andrés Medina
Peter Persyn
Annelies Storms
I
nnovate UK’s Ian Spero, the moderator of the 2015 AAL Forum, welcomed the delegates and explained how this year’s forum
would be taking a more interactive form. One of the main aims of this gathering of minds was to create a consensus among all stakeholders about the best ways to move the AAL Programme forward. Encouraging dialogue with the wider public about active and healthy ageing is a vital step towards bringing the inventions and solutions of the programme into the mainstream, and this was an overriding theme of the event. Rafael de Andres Medina, President
of the AAL Association, welcomed delegates to the Forum and thanked the organisers, sponsors and speakers for their participation and continued support. He went on to explain how the Forum 2015 would become a more interactive experience for all in an effort to gain a better understanding
8 | AAL FORUM 2014
of the AAL ecosystem and the challenges it faces. He called for politicians, policy and decision makers at European, national and regional level, project partners, health and social sectors, carers, older adults, researchers and industry to meet together, interact and act as a catalyst for engagement and development in the healthy ageing market. He emphasised the huge opportunity
that exists in this market, but that it could only properly be exploited if the AAL tackles both the societal and economic challenges of Europe’s demographic changes and keeps the social inclusion and empowerment of the older adults at the heart of all it does. Support for social care and health systems across Europe is also a vital ingredient for success. Representing the Flemish
government at the event was Peter Persyn who is involved in issues surrounding healthcare and education.
He recollected Ghent’s long tradition of spearheading technological innovation events, giving the example of the Flanders International Technology Fair, first held in 1983 and started by the first ever elected president of the Flemish government Gaston Geens. This event helped spark the third industrial revolution in Flanders based on the idea that new possibilities offered from fields such as IT and biotech could help make a better life for all. This idea has had a tremendous impact around the world and the AAL Programme abides by these same values. The Flemish government was one
of the original bodies involved in the creation of the AAL, and that privileged position has allowed them to observe the evolution of the programme and garner valuable lessons. As has been mentioned often, Persin highlighted the fact that the value chain in Europe remains far too long, which has all too often stifled the pathway from a new
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