R&D&inn

Our Development & Research and innovation Department (I&D&inn) is addressed to improve the socio-healthcare services and resources aimed at the elderly and dependent people in order to increase their quality of life and of their caregivers. Innovaciones Sociosanitarias (inn©) develops research in three main strategic lines of expertise:

ASSISTANCE TECHNOLOGIES. This line of research focuses on establishing criteria of usability and validation of new technologies addressed to promote the autonomy of dependent people and the welfare of their caregivers. For instance, we have developed the competitive R&D project Ambient Assisted Living, autonomy, motivation and individual self-management for COPD patients (AMICA) (funded within the Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) initiative of the European Union), and currently we are leading Potential development of services based on collective socio-healthcare social innovation (PISCISS) (funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness).

ACCESIBLE SOCIAL TOURISM. We do studies and analyses to prevent dependency situations through the promotion of social tourism and active aging. Some of the projects developed by inn© as leader and/or partner, related with this line of work, are: New Technologies to increase the competitiveness towards a new tourism consumer: tourism for people with disabilities (by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade), Technological Network of Accessible Tourism (TOURISMALL) (funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science), Critical study of the characteristics and ideal location for an information point of accessible tourism –(by Valencian Ministry of Enterprises) and Technical feasibility study to create a marketing tool of accessible tourism (Spanish Ministry of Education and Science).

SOCIO-HEALTHCARE POLICIES AND SERVICES. We research about the social and healthcare needs of dependent people and their caregivers, to improve the offer of long-term care. To this respect the team of inn© has participated or coordinated: Health systems and long-term care for older persons in Europe – Modelling the INTERfaces and LINKS between prevention, rehabilitation, quality of services and informal care (INTERLINKS) (funded within the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union), LivingAll – Free Movements and Equal Living Opportunities for All (within the 6th PM), Adapted housing for all (Spanish Ministry of Education and Science), National Observatory of Dependence (Spanish Ministry of Education and Science), and The Principle of Sustainability and New Strategies for Social and Health Care (Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology).

The R&D projects in which Innovaciones Sociosanitarias participates are supported by regional, national and European institutions.
Furthermore, the research labour of inn© has been awarded twice:

In 2009, the project New Technologies to increase the competitiveness towards a new tourism consumer: tourism for people with disabilities was nominated “Good Practice” in the ACCESS-IT HOME Prize.

In 2009, the City Council of Valencia (Spain) awarded to Innovaciones Sociosanitarias in the third edition of Valencia Idea Award 2009.