European collaboration in research and development

ESN has joined the Societal Advisory Board of the Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) ‘More Years, Better Lives’. This JPI is a partnership between fifteen European governments which seek to enhance coordination and collaboration between European and national research programmes related to demographic change. Areas affected by demographic change cover a wide variety of research fields and policy topics ranging from health to social welfare, education & learning, work & productivity to housing, urban & rural development, and mobility. Its purpose is to develop a Scientific Research Agenda (SRA) which would encompass the potential and challenges of demographic change. The role of the Societal Advisory Board (SOAB) is to evaluate proposals from researchers and academics for the SRA.

Inviting ESN to join the Board, JPI Chair Prof. Dr. Marja Vaarama wrote that ESN and the JPI “share a concern for research and policies which promote the inclusion of all people … and recognise the essential role of social services and networks for sustainable solutions.” Other SOAB members include the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, AGE Platform Europe, European Trade Union Confederation and HOPE European Hospital and Health Care Federation.

ESN’s Chair Lars-Göran Jansson attended the last meeting of the SOAB on 26 March in Brussels and stressed that the research to be conducted had to be useful to policy makers and service managers in social care and health. ESN has recently stepped up its work on evidence-based practice through its service management working group.

Find out more about this JPI on demographic change.