Last 1st and 2nd February, the kick-off meeting of the REVITAL project took place: Socio-economic revitalisation of low population density areas through clinical telecare. The meeting of the 9 members of the consortium in charge of executing the project was held at IDEVA – Innovation and Economic Development Agency of Valladolid City Council, which plays a key role in promoting public-private collaboration and the connection between university and business to retain and attract talent.
The meeting served for the members of the consortium to get to know each other better and to start the activities planned to meet the need to provide specialised health care and physical and neurological rehabilitation services (especially for dependent and elderly people), using technological tools to offer tele-assistance and telerehabilitation services, which will also help to create skilled employment and fix a new population that will boost the rural economy.
The multi-regional consortium made up of 9 entities from the health and social-health sectors in Spain, France and Portugal, are:
- Cluster Innovative Solutions for Independent Living (SIVI)
- Social Services Management of Castilla y León
- San Cebrián Foundation
- GOGOA Mobility Robots
- École Supérieure des Technologies Industrielles Avancées (ESTIA)
- University of DEUSTO
- Etablissement Public de Santé de GARAZI
- Beira Baixa Business Association (AEBB)
- Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco (IPCB)
The first activities that fall within the WG1 Planning and Implementation of the pilot experiences, aim to improve healthcare and long-term care for the elderly and/or chronically dependent people in areas of low population density, by introducing technological tools that enable the provision of advanced healthcare services of specialised telecare and tele-rehabilitation. In this way, we will demonstrate the technological and social feasibility of these services in 3 pilot cases with differential characteristics: Castilla y León (Spain), Central Portugal and Nouvelle-Aquitaine (France).
Both the objectives and the expected results of the REVITAL project are considered of great interest for the SUDOE regions, because the common challenge and need of these inland rural areas is to revitalise their economic and social fabric, promoting employment opportunities that solve social challenges from the perspective of innovation, combining social needs with development opportunities.