In July 30th, the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) published the Decision 742/2008/EC, of the Parliament and of the Council of July 9th, on the Community’s participation in the research and development programme Ambient Assisted Living Programme, undertaken by several Member States and aiming at enhancing the quality of life of older people through the use of new information and communication technologies (ICT).

The Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) Joint Programme, which involves a total investment of over  EUR 600 million, aims at addressing the challenge of demographic ageing by providing the necessary legal and organisational framework for largescale European cooperation between Member States in applied research and innovation in the area of information and communication technologies (ICT) for ageing well in an ageing society. In the field of  ICT in particular, the fact of an ageing population can be seen as an opportunity for an emerging market for new goods and services which respond to the needs of the elderly

The countries involved: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom, as participating Member States, as well as Israel, Norway and Switzerland; have agreed to coordinate and implement jointly activities aimed at contributing to the AAL Joint Programme.

The AAL Joint Programme should also promote the involvement of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in its activities in accordance with the objectives of the Seventh Framework Programme.

In this scope, as for the implementation of the Seventh Framework Programme, the Community will make a financial contribution to the AAL Joint Programme amounting to a maximum of EUR 150 million for the duration of the Seventh Framework Programme.

The Community financial contribution will be paid from the appropriation in the general budget of the European Union allocated to the information and communication technologies (ICT) theme of the Specific Programme ‘Cooperation’. The Decision sets the provisions regarding the procedures and conditions for the Community financial support, granting of financial support to third parties, the rules relating to financial liability and intellectual property rights, as well as the detailed rules for the provision of financial support by the dedicated implementation structure to third parties, condition for financial reduction or termination.

This Decision will enter into force on August 2nd.

AAL Joint Programme specific objectives:

• Foster the emergence of innovative ICT-based products, services and systems for ageing well at home, in the community, and at work, thus improving the quality of life, autonomy, participation in social life, skills and employability of older people and reducing the costs of health and social care. This may be based, for example, on innovative utilisation of ICT, new methods of customer interaction or new types of value chains for independent living services. The results of the AAL Joint Programme could also be used by other groups of people, namely people with disabilities,
• Create a critical mass of research, development and innovation at EU level in the areas of technologies and services for ageing well in the information society, including the establishment of a favourable environment for the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Programme.
• Improve conditions for the industrial exploitation of research results by providing a coherent European framework for developing common approaches, including common minimum standards and facilitating the localisation and adaptation of common solutions which are compatible with varying social preferences and regulatory aspects at national or regional level across Europe.

By focusing on applied research, the AAL Joint Programme will complement related longer-term research activities envisaged under the Seventh Framework Programme, as well as the demonstration activities forming part of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (2007 to 2013).

The AAL Joint Programme will also contribute to the achievement of the renewed Lisbon Strategy objectives and the knowledge-based society, while endeavouring to ensure that the use of new technologies does not lead to social exclusion. Furthermore, the Programme will promote the development of cost-effective solutions that can help to ensure equitable, simplified access to ICT products and services, including access to services through a choice of different channels that respect the privacy and dignity of the elderly in all regions of Europe, including rural and peripheral areas.