SILVER SMEs will soon celebrate its third year of activity and publishes its results factsheet presenting the main outcomes of the project.
Why SILVER SMEs?
By 2070, 30% of Europe’s population will be aged 65 and over, which is 10% more than today. Rural and mountainous areas are particularly affected by this demographic change and need to develop living environments that meet the needs of older people.
Launched in June 2018, SILVER SMEs is a 5-year Interreg Europe project. It aims at supporting regional policies in rural and mountainous areas by enlightening the potential for SMEs to develop new innovative products and services of benefit and joy for a senior population. By supporting the development of new SMEs in the Silver Economy, an intrinsic objective is to stimulate growth and competitiveness of rural areas and mountainous areas.
The project leader is the Spanish province of Teruel, and the other 8 project partners come from Ireland, Slovenia, Portugal, Spain, France, Sweden, and Poland. Discover SILVER SMEs in short in our brochure or presentation video!
What are SILVER SMEs’ main outcomes?
Since 2018, SILVER SMEs’ partners have analysed their regional contexts regarding ageing and the potential of the Silver Economy sector. Based on interviews of SMEs, social partners, researchers, and policy makers, 8 regional analyses were realised to help understand the opportunities but also barriers to the development of the Silver Economy in our regions. A composite SWOT analysis and 9 interactive infographics also synthesizes the specificities of our 8 rural and mountainous areas.
Partners have also exchanged regional experiences and inspiring good practices that support both business creation and the quality of life of rural older adults. From housing to mobility, leisure activities, tourism and ICT, these examples can trigger innovative solutions to better cope with ageing in rural and mountainous areas.
The exchange of good practices and experiences was also enhanced during SILVER SMEs’ thematic seminars across Europe and was used as a basis to contribute to the European Commission’s consultation on the EU Green Paper on Ageing.
Learn more at a glance in SILVER SMEs’ results factsheet!
What’s next ?
In the next two years, SILVER SMEs partners will implement regional Action Plans. Based on the lessons learnt from the exchange of experiences, the 8 regional Action Plans will consist in tailored support measures to small businesses in order to develop the Silver Economy sector.
Some of SILVER SMEs’ Action Plans were already introduced during the project’s online conference “Challenges and solutions to cope with ageing in rural Europe: the role of the Silver Economy” on 21st April 2021. You can relive the conference by reading the event report and watching the recording!
To find out more in the future about the delivery of the Action Plans and our results, you can subscribe to SILVER SMEs’ newsletter. You can also find us on social media:
