www.realchallenge.info

The winner of the Nordic Independent Living Challenge will be awarded one million NOK in an award ceremony at Oslo City Hall 9 June 2016. In the final stage leading up to final award ceremony, the

five project teams have tested theur solutions in close collaboration with the capital cities.

Finalists:

• AssiStep – rollator for the stairs (NO)

• AbleOn ShowerSystem – the only shower aid that can get you to and from the shower easily (NO)

• Pilloxa – smart pillbox that takes care of remembering your medicine (SE)

• Siren Smart Socks – temperature sensing socks preventing diabetic foot ulcers (DK)

• Nifty Neighbour (Nappi Naapuri) – allowing neighbours to care for the elderly and those nearby (FI)

Help us solve a #realchallengeIt started with an impressive 415 ideas. Now, five finalists are hoping to win the main prize in the Nordic Independent Living Challenge launched by Nordic Innovation and the five Nordic capital cities in early 2015.

NORDIC INDEPENDENT LIVING CHALLENGE

PRESS KIT

THE CHALLENGE:

Provide new solutions to the elderly and people with disabilities in order to make it possible for them to live independently in their own home.

Contents of press kit:

Competition background

Competition structure

Resources and downloads

Contact information

More information:For more information, please contact Magnus Buer at m.buer@nordicinnovation.org or +47 994 80 456.

Finalist presentation

AbleOn ShowerSystem (NO)

AbleOn Shower System facilitates the shower situation so that elderly and others with disabilities can feel safe and have more independence in their everyday lives. AbleOn is an ergonomic, modular system that grows with the user. It adapts easily to the users’ needs, situation and environment to help increase mobility and safety throughout the shower routine. AbleOn follows the user from getting undressed and getting in to the shower, to taking the shower and out again, drying and dressing, thus contributing to increased independence, and dignity.

AbleOn also aims to facilitate for healthcare workers and family, and prevent work related injuries due to heavy lifting and unfortunate working positions. AbleOn can easily be placed and mounted in any home.

Find out more at www.ableon.com.

AssiStep (N0)

The AssiStep is a walker in the stairs, giving people with mobility issues extra support when climbing stairs. The AssiStep is a simple non-invasive product that can keep its users on their feet and climbing their stairs themselves, providing an alternative to stair lifts. With the AssiStep, more elderly can live at home and still get the best daily exercise we get in our own homes – climbing stairs.

The AssiStep consists simply of a conventional handrail with a handle coupled to it that users can slide in front of them to get safety and support while climbing stairs themselves.

Find out more at www.assistep.no.

Nifty Neighbour (Nappi Naapuri) (FI)

Nifty Neighbour is a new map-based social media for neighbourhoods. In Nifty Neighbour, anyone can offer or ask for help, look for friends, make an initiative or just start a discussion. It helps senior citizens to become an active neighbourhood resource, forming an ecosystem of care together with their neighbours and local organisations. The design encourages into trusting, sharing, helping and doing things together.

Find out more at www.nappinaapuri.fi.

Pilloxa (SE)

Pilloxa is a smart pillbox with a connected mobile app making it easier for active elderly to take medication. The box has visual reminders in the form of LEDs but is designed to be camouflaged, not giving an indication that the user relies on medicine.

The app will give reminders when forgetting to take the right dose, keep an updated list of current medications and the possibility to buy more medicine online when needed.

Find out more at www.pilloxa.com.

Siren Smart Socks (DK)

Siren Care provides temperature-sensing socks to prevent diabetic foot ulcers, which is the leading complication that diabetics suffer from. Studies have shown that temperature monitoring decreases the probability of ulceration by up to 72 percent. While there are some temperature tracking technologies on the market, these technologies are unwieldly to use and require a significant investment of time and disrupts regular routine.

Since Siren Smart Socks is just like an everyday item of clothing, they are both familiar to the wearer and can be readily integrated into their daily life.

Find out more at www.siren.care.

Finalist presentation:

The Nordic population is ageing, and the demand for innovative solutions and technologies for the elderly and people with disabilities is increasing.

Today, elderly people represent 25 % of the entire Nordic adult population. This number will rise to more than 40 % in 2030 and 45 % in 2050. Also, between 13 and 21 % of the Nordic adult population report that they have some kind of disability. This means there will soon be a dramatic increase of people in need of solutions that can enable them to keep living independently and increase their quality of life.

This is why the five Nordic capital cities teamed up with Nordic Innovation to launch the Nordic Independent Living Challenge and invited new and established innovators to come up with new solutions for elderly and people with disabilities making it possible for them to live independently in their own home.

Furthermore, the five Nordic capital cities and Nordic Innovation want to boost innovation and collaboration in the welfare technology industry – and create a joint Nordic market.

Competition background: A new needs-driven innovation tool

40%The Nordic adult

population over 65 years old in 2030.

5.6billion Euro

Copenhagen, Oslo and Helsinki’s combined social expenditure in

2012*.

*Expected to increase

1million NOK

Final prize for the Nordic Independent

Living Challenge winner.

Competition structure• The Nordic Independent Living Challenge was open for everyone in the Nordic region – from

established welfare solution providers to students and startups. We also encouraged elderly and disabled with an innovative spirit to sign up.

• The first stage was a low-threshold invitation for ideas and solutions. While originally aiming for 150 ideas, an impressive 415 ideas were entered into the competition. An independent Nordic jury then picked out the 75 best ideas to proceed to the second stage.

• After a matchmaking meeting and idea development, the participants had to send in a revised idea.

• The Nordic jury then picked out the 25 best ideas to proceed to the third stage, where the teams

1 000 000 NOK main prize

200 000 NOK cross-Nordic prize

100 000 NOK student prize

National launch events

Awardcelebration

Submission of further developed

concept

Selection offinalists

Nordic matchmaking

event

Selection ofparticipants

Jury meeting

Selection ofparticipants

Submissionof concept

Finalsubmission

Submissionof ideasIdeation

Conceptdevelopment

Testing withthe cities

Business plan

developmentGo tomarket!

MAY4-5

NOV30

DEC

16

JAN2015

JUN

10

APR

10

MAY

27

MAY

25

MAR18

Opening for applications

FEB

5

JUN

8

JUN

9

New criteria:- Design and functionality- Potential outcome- Team/partnering- Nordic DNA

New criteria:- Benefits to end-users- Cost savings

New criteria:- Measured and potential impact- Measured usability- Implementation plan- Business potential

Content:- Concept sketch- Needs analysis- Expected outcome- Usability considerations

Content:- Detailed description- Pilot test results- Test plan- Draft busines plan

Content:- Evaluation of test results- Potential impact- Implementation and business plan

Content:- Solution sketch- Target group- Needs targeted- Desired outcome

Criteria:- Fit and originality

worked with mentors and experts to improve their business plan and develop their concepts further towards a functioning product or solution.

• On 16 December 2015, after a pitching session, the jury selected the five finalists.

• In the last stage, the finalists will get to test their solutions in close cooperation with the capital cities.

• The Nordic jury will then pick a final winner in 2016 who receives the main prize of 1 million NOK. In addition, there is a 200.000 NOK cross-Nordic collaboration award and a 100.000 NOK student award.

The competition is modelled as a challenge prize competition, where a defined challenge serves as a starting point for developing innovations. Drawing on experiences from among others the British innovation charity Nesta, the challenge competition constitutes a new needs-driven innovation tool in a Nordic context.

Before the competition launch, two needs analyses were made, the first looking at the needs of the cities, the other analysing the needs of the target group – elderly, disabled, care personnel and relatives.

The Nordic countries face many of the same health and social care/welfare challenges, but different solutions are developed to solve almost identical problems. This is especially the case when it comes to welfare technology and ICT solutions. The problem of fragmented demand can be reduced through closer collaboration on the demand side.

The Nordic Independent Living Challenge aims at exactly that by an unprecedented cross-border cooperation between the five Nordic capitals and Nordic Innovation, which serves as a new tool for municipalities to work with innovators. Furthermore, we see the potential to create a more integrated Nordic market with enhanced collaboration across borders and disciplines.

Resources and downloads

City needs analysis (1,1 MB) User needs analysis (2,5 MB)

Selected ethnographic interviewsPersonas collection (12 MB)

Photo galleriesVideo gallery

Logo collection (1,4 MB)

Photos may be used freely if crediting Nordic Innovation.

Contact information

Mona Truelsen

Project manager/senior innovation adviser

+47 902 10 822

m.truelsen@nordicinnovation.org

NORDIC INNOVATION:

Kristoffer Riis

Project leader, Væksthus Hovedstadsregionen

+45 31 68 41 12

kri@vhhr.dk

COPENHAGEN:

Kaisa Spilling

Project manager, Forum Virium Helsinki

+358 407448831

kaisa.spilling@forumvirium.fi

HELSINKI:

Þórhildur Egilsdóttir

Department manager, home care services, dept. of Welfare

+354 4119042

thorhildur.g.egilsdottir@reykjavik.is

REYKJAVIK:

Maria Kleine

Project manager, elderly services administration

+46 8 508 36 246

maria.kleine@stockholm.se

STOCKHOLM:

Anne Romsaas

Innovation adviser, KS

+47 959 71 659

anne.romsaas@ks.no

OSLO:

For further information, please visit www.realchallenge.info.