AgeTech Bootcamp and Living Lab Chemnitz
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
Category
Project Description
Our population is aging. This unprecedented social challenge is also creating new requirements for products and services. However, many new products and services are currently being developed without taking into account the needs of the target group. This leads to low user acceptance or even rejection of well-conceived ideas. In order to solve this problem, the AgeTech Bootcamp and Living Lab integrates new technologies, Startups and participatory design including senior citizens.
Project Region
EU Programme or fund
Description of the project
Summary
Our population is aging. This unprecedented social challenge is also creating new requirements for products and services. Currently, many new products and services are being developed without taking into account the needs of the target group. This leads to low user acceptance or even rejection of well-conceived ideas. As a result, the corresponding projects fail or fall short of expectations. In order to solve this problem, the AgeTech Bootcamp was launched in Chemnitz in 2019, which is an ideal testing ground for innovative AgeTech offerings. Product developers and startups can present their innovations here in an event lasting several days and come into contact with elderly citizens and potential cooperation partners at an early stage and exchange experiences and knowledge among themselves.
In this context, Chemnitz is the ideal space for testing age-related business ideas. Already today, every second person in Chemnitz is 50 years or older. 35% of Chemnitz residents are even 60 years old. This makes Chemnitz a pioneer for many cities today in terms of the expected age structure and, with this demographic composition, it offers itself as an ideal laboratory for future age development. It offers excellent conditions for the identification, development and testing of innovative concepts in demographic change. In this context, the Chemnitz metropolitan area stands as an example for many European regions.
This is an opportunity! Worldwide, the population group of elderly citizens is a strongly growing customer group with changed needs, especially with regard to new technologies and digitalization. Here referred to as AgeTech.
The AgeTech Bootcamp is thus a newly created place that connects young and old to support cross-generational innovations. In the next step, the bootcamp is to be developed into a living lab that transfers the connection between generations and the development of new generations with an age-related focus into a sustainable structure.
Key objectives for sustainability
The goals of the project are to promote participatory technology development and to develop user-centered innovations that address real user needs. This is to support the development of marketable innovations and will strengthen social sustainability. For example, our society is facing a multitude of challenges due to demographic change, which this will help to reduce.
The project will produce several direct and indirect results. For example, the inclusion of potential users also develops the perception of technology in Chemnitz, which has a culture-promoting effect. Since young and old citizens work on joint projects, an effect on social integration can also be expected.
Ultimately, the goal is to increase value creation in the region and to establish the Chemnitz region as a test and lead market for AgeTech offerings. Thus, the following sub-goals are pursued. On the one hand, a technology transfer from innovative startups from the region and from startups outside the Saxony region to Saxon organizations (especially SMEs) is to take place. This is intended to build new business models and modernize existing structures. This also results in a higher productivity of the existing value creation structures. In addition, new value-added structures are to be developed, e.g. in the form of new products, services or business models, and existing Saxon companies are to be integrated into supraregional value-added networks. Ultimately, the project is also intended to demonstrate the attractiveness of Saxony as a business location and to promote the settlement of innovative companies through close links with regional business development and politics.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
Overall, the entire project is geared towards providing more than just functional added value. Too rarely, offerings are also developed aesthetically so that the target group is not stigmatized as old. As a result, older people reject these products and do not use them. What is needed are products that the target group perceives as usable and attractive, so that use is guaranteed.
Key objectives for inclusion
An important component is to ensure that older people have access to modern and digital technologies and can participate in its developments. This was ensured, for example, with special event formats and information media. Likewise, the target groups were addressed directly and invited to participate. The same applies to multipliers who are networked in the target group.
Results in relation to category
The series of events has promoted exchange between the groups. Founders have been able to adapt their ideas and thus respond directly to user feedback. In addition, city policy has taken up the topic and is examining how concepts can be developed to open up municipal companies to the target groups. In this way, the city wants to take a pioneering role in the development of age-independent products.
How Citizens benefit
As already described, society participates with regard to various aspects. Older residents can participate in economic and development processes. In addition, founders participate through the wealth of experience of older people; for example, there were also joint development projects after the event. In addition, new solutions are developed that fit into the everyday life of the target groups and can, for example, reduce challenges in everyday life or reduce costs in care and in the healthcare system.
Innovative character
To shift demographic change from a problem to an economic opportunity, innovative products and business concepts are needed. Startups play a key role here, but they face challenges. They often develop their offerings without taking into account the needs and realities of life of the target group. In addition to technological development, attention must also be paid to transfer to the living environments of users and network nodes and intermediaries are needed to bring separate players together and engage in exchange. There is also a lack of know-how and cooperation partners to develop together with future customers and to develop effective marketing strategies. The AgeTech Bootcamp and, in the future, the AgeTech Living Lab Chemnitz is intended to create the platform to bring together the relevant actors in the innovation process and facilitate access to users, potential customers and expertise for startups and SMEs.
Currently, similar projects focus primarily on testing new technologies, with a focus on technical functionality. Exchange and discussion of the offerings with end users and economic actors along the value chain is currently not sufficiently considered. Little emphasis is placed on acceptance and understanding. There is a lack of a functioning network node that brings together and translates.
By connecting the actors, new regional sources of value creation are to be opened up, start-up activity is to be intensified and a future-oriented profile formation in the start-up scene and economy is to be supported. In this way, supposed regional weaknesses are to be transformed into strengths.
