Styria is the first and only Austrian reference site for active and healthy ageing within the "European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Active and Healthy Ageing (AHA)" with 74 reference regions awarded in 2016. Active and healthy ageing combined with a long and smooth lifespan is an aspiration for all of us, Styria aims to make this wish comes true using various approaches. 

The mission's objective is to increase the number of healthy years of life by at least two. Currently, Austrians live 58 years in a quite healthy way while Swedens can expect 70 healthy years of life.

The HTS links the ecosystem between business, science, research and politics to generate economic growth and social added value.

Especially in the development of innovative solutions and services and in the area of ​​digitization, opportunities for Styrian companies and research institutions to set new European standards for improving health care are possible.

 “In public opinion, demographic change has very negative connotations  and  is  most  often  associated with  exploding  healthcare  costs  and  a  care  crisis.  But  at  the  same  time,  the ageing of the population is generating growing demand for age-appropriate products and services, which opens up chances for innovative companies. As a region we have to try picking up on these chances” – thus Johann Harer, head of the Human Technology cluster, explains why his organization took on the role of coordinator of the ‘AHA reference region’. “For me it was fascinating to see how many actors from the most diverse areas of research and business were already working in this area. The future task of our cluster will not only be to initiate new projects, but also to boost the visibility of projects that are already running and to promote cross-sectoral cooperation in the AHA area.”

A series of activities already showed the potential of the region. Here are some examples:

• The ‘Platform for Health Business’: Together with the Styrian Wirtschaftskammer (Chamber of Economy) and the Government of Styria (departments of economy and health) the essential playersare were brought together to analyse and activate the business potentials. www.gesundheitswirtschaft-stmk.at

• ‘I-SHARE – Integrative Strategies for Healthy Ageing Regions’: In this project, indicators for the successful development of a ‘Healthy Aging Region’ will be identified with focus on the areas of ‘Active and Assisted Living solutions (AAL)’ and ‘Smart Home and Smart City Components’. The selected indicators will be used to generate recommendations for implementation of healthy aging measures in Styria as a reference region.

• ‘Active Living’: assistance systems in the home – from fall sensors to safety devices that switch off cookers – the keyword is ‘smart homes’. When new residential projects such as the ‘Smart City Graz West’ are being planned, special concepts for older people should be considered from the beginning.
• Market exploration excursion ‘Future of Aging’ to Sweden: The goal of this trip by the cluster was to exchange know-how between Austrian and Swedish providers and to initiate further cooperations in the area of digitalization in the care and healthcare sector.

• Conference ‘AgingGraz2017 – Cultural Narratives, Processes and Strategies in Representations of Age and Aging’ at the University of Graz. An interdisciplinary conference, where about 300 researchers discussed topics of demographic change and aging-related science.

• ‘Executive lounge’ of the cluster on the topic of ‘Nutrition in Old Age’ at FH Joanneum: This executive lounge dealt with the relationships between nutrition, taste and age
• 'Executive Lounge': Business Opportunity "Active and Healthy Ageing"
• 'eHealth2018': Biomedical meets eHealth - From Sensors to Decisions
  Insides of Active and Healthy Ageing - Reference Site