14/09/2011
The Centre for Affective Solutions for Ambient Living Awareness (CASALA) was officially opened at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) today (Tuesday 20th April 2010). Established with seed funding of €2 million from Enterprise Ireland's Applied Research Enhancement programme, the official opening was performed by Jennifer Condon, Manager of Software & Public Procurement at Enterprise Ireland, in front of a large crowd of companies from the north east region and further afield who are working in the ambient assisted living (AAL) sector. AAL is an emerging sector that is capitalising on the opportunities presented by Europe’s aging population.
By 2020, 25% of the EU's population will be over 65, with spending on pensions, health and long-term care expected to triple by 2050. Extending the opportunity for older people to age in a place of their choosing is a major policy alternative to long-term care. There is a huge economic potential related to this the “Silver Market”, older people are important consumers with a combined wealth in Europe alone of over €3,000 billion and the forthcoming generation of older people will be increasing demands for high quality services.
Speaking at the opening Ms. Condon said “CASALA offers significant opportunities to companies that are developing technology based solutions to allow older people live at home for longer. It is also important to note the societal benefits of this research as the issue of independence for older people is something that touches every family. I congratulate Dundalk IT on being the first college in Ireland to carve out a research niche in this area and encourage companies, not only those in the border region but all over Ireland to take advantage of the expertise here in CASALA and the associated Netwell Centre here at Dundalk IT”. A team of researchers and entrepreneurs at CASALA will work with companies in this sector to develop, trial and commercialise new products and services to the benefit of the older people and the economic development of Irish based industry.
CASALA also acts as the commercial arm of the Netwell Centre, which is also based within DkIT. The Netwell Centre is developing new ideas that enhance the quality of life and well-being of older people and those who care for them, through more integrated community-oriented services, more sustainable home and neighbourhood design, and more age-friendly technologies.
Through an extensive array of projects with international partners, the teams within CASALA and Netwell have links with a global network of stakeholders, placing them at the forefront of understanding ageing and age-friendliness. Their knowledge, insight and experience have enabled them to be highly influential in the development of collaborative stakeholder engagements, including the development of 16 smart-homes / apartments, highlighted as “the most modern hi-tech apartments in Ireland specifically for older people” and the Louth Age Friendly County Initiative.
Andrew Macfarlane, centre manager for CASALA said that “we look forward to building on the important foundations created by DkiT and the Netwell Centre. What we have here is a unique resource for industry, our research facilities, available expertise and knowledge are world-class. Offering Irish industry opportunities to leap frog into a global market for products and services targeting older people”.
Dr Timothy McCormac, Head of Research, Dundalk Institute of Technology, added:
“Over the past number of years the Institute’s talented pool of researchers have secured in excess of €26M in research funding from both national and international sources. A large proportion of this funding has been attracted from funding bodies, such as Enterprise Ireland, to underpin the research commercialisation activities across the Institute. This clearly shows that the Institute is playing a significant part in underpinning Ireland’s Smart Economy whilst already addressing some of the key recommendations in the Government’s recent Innovation Taskforce report".
“Today we are seeing the official launch of the Institute’s second Applied Research Enhancement Centre. The Institute welcomes the strong support given by Enterprise Ireland to firstly establish and develop Casala and great credit has also to be given to the passion and determination exhibited by the individual researchers whose work directly underpins the Institute’s strategic focus around a “Sustainable Living Institute” theme”.
This is the latest regional hub of research expertise funded through Enterprise Ireland's Applied Research Enhancement Centre programme which is central to the Government's drive to increase the levels of research and innovation at regional locations.
CASALA is actively seeking collaborations with industry, consumer, and commercial organisations interested in technology and the "Silver Market"; these collaborations can be in the form of technology testing and validation, AAL software and hardware development, market evaluation, workshops, or can be tailored to the needs of an individual project or organisation.
