EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
invention to an affordable product available to the public. Modern technology evolves far too rapidly to allow for this, with last year’s winners very quickly becoming today’s losers, and so the process of turning a bright idea into something tangible must be shortened. Persyn called for a single European patent agency or bureau, which could help this situation, as at present there is no method of rapidly recognising patents as there is in the USA today. Annelies Storms, Alderman of Ghent
for Culture, Tourism and Events gave a short speech to describe the vibrant history of Ghent, a city where past and present collide but also remain in balance with each other. An economic
powerhouse in the middle ages second only to Paris, it has remained great city. The historic heart of Flanders is also widely regarded as the cultural epicentre of the region, with a pulsating music scene that has produced a number of excellent bands and artists over the years. Named as one of Lonely Planet’s “must-see cities”, it is truly one of Europe’s hidden treasures, and the Alderman encouraged all delegates to take the opportunity to see the city while they were there. Next to the plenary stage was the EC’s
Zoran Stančič. He told of the residents of his hometown near Ljubljana being awed at the rapid development that took place there many years ago, with the introductions of gyms and solariums signalling to them that their country was showing real signs of development. But, Stančič asked, what are the true signs of development within a community? He believes that care — the way in
which dependent people are treated, whether they are refugees, children or older adults — is an excellent measure of development. As such, he cited his pride in the AAL Programme, what it stands for, and its many achievements since its beginnings in 2007. To move forward, he continued, the
AAL Programme must be quicker in identifying opportunities in the market and acting upon them. By 2016 there will be 16 million robots deployed specifically for care around the world. By 2017, there will be 17 million smart homes helping people to live longer at home and more independently. These represent huge opportunities for developing products and services, and the AAL needs to work out how to scale up joint activities to bring real solutions to Europe. The EC has allocated significant funds in this area, and so another mission for AAL has to be to focus on the evolving needs of the market and supporting early user involvement in the development process. The opening session ended with an inspiring speech by entrepreneur and co-founder of Cubigo - Geert Houben - who spoke about his time in Silicon Valley and the need for healthcare to become more like self-care, in a way that banking has become more user focused. You can read more about this on page 56.
Geert Houben tells his story
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