Argentum

European project for the development and innovation of the silver economy.

The Cuatroochenta Chair of Artificial Intelligence, Health and Welfare is part of the consortium that develops the ARGENTUM project, within the Erasmus + program, to promote and boost the silver economy. The concept of the silver economy has its origins in the markets of Japan, the country with the world's oldest population, and includes any product, service or economic activity designed to meet the needs of people over 50 years of age. The European Union (EU) is firmly committed to the promotion of the silver economy, due to the rapid ageing of the current population. According to its own figures, by the year 2070, approximately 30.3% of the population will be over 65 years of age and 13.2% will be over 80 years of age. As for the silver economy market, it is expected to grow by around 5% per year, rising from €3.7 trillion in 2015 to €5.7 trillion in 2025 and will therefore generate new job opportunities in many sectors, according to the Green Paper on Aging issued by the European Commission in January 2021. Under this paradigm, population ageing is an opportunity for society.

The silver economy is made up of seven markets: information technologies, wellness, health and care, leisure and sport, tourism and education, and technological innovation. The latter is one of the central axes due to its great transformative power in terms of people's well-being. In this sense, the Chair will contribute its knowledge and experience on how to use technological innovation to meet the needs of the elderly and improve their quality of life.

ARGENTUM Network

ARGENTUM is part of a project financed with Erasmus+ funds from the European Union, within the KA2 plan for Cooperation between Organizations. It is formed, in addition to the Universitat Jaume I (UJI) of Castelló by the directors of the Chair Cuatroochenta, by five other organizations from Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Italy.

In November 2021, the launching of the project and the team that will actively collaborate until the end of 2023 was formalized. All cluster members will be offered training courses to promote best practices in the silver economy sector, such as the inclusion of older people themselves in technological development and innovation to take into account their vision and real needs. In addition, training on innovation in social services and support measures for health and active ageing will be promoted. All this is expected to have a positive impact on the quality of services received by the elderly.

Objectives