ZukunfTAlter – Future technologies for successful ageing in rural areas

             
Project funding : Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) as part of the ‘WIR! – Change through Innovation in the Region’
programme
Project region : Upper Lusatia, the ‘Dreiländereck’

Project partnership : Alliance of stakeholders from academia, business, civil society and politics
Duration : established in 2019, 1 August 2026 – 31 December 2028

Objective:

The ZukunfTAlter alliance addresses the question of how rural regions can be made sustainable in the face of demographic change. The focus is on the development and testing of gerontechnological innovations to enable self-determined and successful ageing.
To this end, ZukunfTAlter brings together stakeholders from academia, business, civil society and politics, and creates a platform for research, development, testing and knowledge transfer. The emphasis is on supporting innovative solutions in the areas of care and health, housing and the living environment.
In the long term, ZukunfTAlter pursues the vision of developing Upper Lusatia into a European model region for gerontechnology – fostering an intergenerational, inclusive and self-determined way of life.

Project background:

Demographic change poses far-reaching challenges, particularly for rural regions. An ageing population, skills shortages and changing demands on care, healthcare, housing, mobility and social participation necessitate new approaches.
ZukunfTAlter sees this development as an opportunity for regional value creation. Technological developments such as digital assistance systems, smart home and smart health applications, or intelligent solutions for mobility and care can help to maintain independence and quality of life well into old age. These new concepts are to be developed in collaboration with the future users, tested under real-world conditions and subsequently translated into sustainable applications, services and business models. The aim is for Upper Lusatia to become a real-world laboratory for the future of ageing. ZukunfTAlter acts as a regional incubation network in this context.

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