On 25 of June 2018, a kick-off meeting about NATIFLife project took place to officially launch the partnership among Italy and Malta, to develop a Network of Assistive technology to support elderly and people with impairments to live comfortably their daily life.
The partnership is composed by partners with different background and experience, but all focused on technology and innovation: University of Catania, Department of electrical, electronic and informatic engineering (DIEEI), University of Malta, Municipality of Catania, SALUPO, VITECO, Paragon Europe and Helios.
The common challenge of the two Regions (Sicily-Malta) tackled by this project is to provide effective technological solutions to the growing needs of independency and autonomy of elderly and people with impairments.
The main project objective is the development of an innovative framework of assistive technology by a joint action between research, industrial, institutional and social sectors, providing end users with autonomy, thus enabling dehospitalization, staying in places of origin and avoiding to break the bonds with families.
This innovative solution will reduce costs to the National Health System.
The NATIFLife project will enhance the strengthening of two research centres, one in Malta and one in Catania (Italy), equipped with innovative facilities to perform joint disruptive research in the field of assistive technology. Furthermore, it will develop an integrated platform of assistive technology compliant with innovative and traditional solutions.
The realization of two pilot demo sites, one in Malta and one in Catania-Italy, will allow to combine together innovative and traditional solutions to be validated by users to measure and evaluate habits and common attitudes as well.
NATIFLife is a project with the mission to involve the largest number possible of Research centers and Enterprises active in the field of assistive technology, to set up the most functional and active network in this field.
Interaction and contamination represent key-factors for future progresses!