SIRENE | Social Innovation Responsive Environments Network aims to support the growth of social innovation ecosystems delivering eco-friendly and sustainable community-based services for SHAFE (Smart Healthy Age-Friendly Environments) implementation in Europe, by providing a workable framework for investment and the broad adoption of high-quality smart living solutions, combining the housing sector and ICT infrastructure.
Social innovation can be understood as innovation in social relations, in power dynamics and in governance transformations, and includes institutional and systems transformations. In order to support this needed transformation, six organisations gathered in November in Coimbra to launch the project. This is the consortium:
- SHINE 2Europe Lda (Portugal) | Coordinator
- AFEdemy, Academy on Age-Friendly Environments in Europe BV (The Netherlands)
- ECHALLIANCE Company Limited by Guarantee (Ireland)
- F6S Network Ireland Limited (Ireland)
- ISRAA – Istituto per Servizi di Ricovero e Assistenza Agli Anziani (Italy)
- Fundacion Tecnalia Research & Innovation (Spain).
There have been several initiatives aiming to promote innovation and support stakeholders to increase investments in relevant societal areas. However, their impact often runs short in the mid- and long-term. SIRENE identifies as a winning approach to connect stakeholders by having them working together towards a Social Innovation framework and supporting tools, claiming that this joint collaborative and co-creative work will increase awareness on social innovation, create alliances and synergies between stakeholders and ensure that business actors have access to social innovation and entrepreneurial knowledge.
Through a set of support activities and tools, SIRENE will also develop a sustainability strategy to enable the framework implementation and access to funding, by harnessing the potential of smart technologies to support inclusive, eco-friendly and independent living.
The SIRENE project will leverage on the networks and outcomes of the SHAFE Network and COST Action 19136 NET4Age-Friendly (SHINE and AFEdemy coordination) the ECTP and Homes4Life (Tecnalia), the Thematic Inovation Ecosystem on Housing and Health (ECHA and ISRAA), as well as the F6S business community.
For the next 2 years, SIRENE will thus connect experts and ecosystems in all 27 EU countries and co-create a workable social innovation framework for promoting large-scale investment in building, retrofitting and adaptation of the housing market.
