Preface

Over the past few years, the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS)

IPTS is one of the seven research institutes of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.

has been carrying out research in the field of ageing, with a focus on the role that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can play to promote Active Ageing. IPTS has looked at the issue from several perspectives, including the socio-economic and technological dimensions of both the ageing phenomenon and the Active Ageing policies that the EU is now adopting.

The European Commission's Directorate General for Information Society and Media (DG INFSO)

Directorate H (ICT addressing Societal Challenges).

has been using the results of this research to help define new policy options and research challenges for the EU's Seventh Framework Programme.

The IPTS has also extensively contributed to the Ageing Well in the Information Society action plan,

“Ageing well in the Information Society – Euro 1bn in digital technologies for Europeans to age well” is part of the flagship i2010 initiative on the needs of the ageing society, launched by the European Commission, and co-funded by the EU, the Member States and the private sector under Article 169 of the EU Treaty. See http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/einclusion/policy/ageing/launch/index_en.htm.

which aims to coordinate the Member States' applied research programmes in ICT for independent living of older Europeans.

This book attempts to reflect aspects of the contribution ICT can make to quality of life for older citizens in Europe. Benefits can be found in health, employment, housing, and elsewhere. The potential market for innovative solutions in ICT for Active Ageing is crucial for the European economy and for the society at large. The European Union has the opportunity to become a research and market leader through innovative applications and services for ageing. Moreover, the promotion of societal values in Europe regarding ageing can serve as a model for other ageing societies.

We expect that this book, the result of collaboration between authors from Europe, Japan and USA, will contribute to the debates on ICT for Active Ageing and provide important hints for research in the field fostered by DG INFSO.