SmartCHANGE

A healthier holiday season with SmartCHANGE! 💫🎄 As we gather with loved ones this festive season, let's also reflect on the small steps we can take for a #healthier, happier future. ❤️🩹 SmartCHANGE had an exciting past year, filled with progress and advancements in the co-design and implementation of the project’s e-health tools. And as we look ahead to 2025, we’re excited to foster new #partnerships and #collaborations that will continue to drive positive change. 🎀 Wishing you joy, warmth, and health throughout this holiday season and into the new year. Here’s to brighter, healthier days ahead! From all of us at SmartCHANGE, happy holidays! ✨

Processing and designing #healthcare tools across borders using qualitative data presents unique challenges, as discussed in our latest webinar. Key challenges include managing vast amounts of qualitative data from multiple countries, aligning diverse stakeholder needs, and interacting with participants indirectly. Here are 5 best practices to navigate these challenges: 💻Empathise with the target group remotely 📝Mark assumptions and interpretations  ⛙Find compromises 🔎Ensure detailed management  🌪️Embrace the chaos and go qualitative These practices ensure better processing and design of healthcare tools that meet the needs of diverse populations across countries. Want to learn more? Watch the webinar 👇 https://lnkd.in/dwmEZKMV

Navigating Data Sharing Challenges in Health Research José Ribeiro from the Faculty of Sports of Universidade do Porto provides insights into the complex process of data collection and sharing within the SmartCHANGE project, highlighting both challenges and achievements. Multiple Roles in Data Management Ribeiro outlines his key responsibilities: "I'm mainly working in work package four [...] regarding the data sets and collecting all the data sets available for using in the models and also [...] working on work package seven for the proof of concept study and to do the intervention studies that will work in Portugal, Finland, Slovenia, and also in the Netherlands." Addressing Privacy Concerns One of the project's major challenges involves data sharing and privacy: "The challenge in the beginning was to be able to put people to share data because we are always getting concerns about privacy, about the security of the data. So putting external people outside of the consortium to share their own work and their own data to be used by others is always a challenge." Building Trust Through Data Protection The team has developed robust solutions to address these concerns: "There was the need for us to have some agreements regarding data sharing and [...] how can we utilize the data, how can we use the data without compromising their privacy, their ethical issues, and also the [...] data protection that is very important for those persons." Current Progress and Future Plans The project has achieved significant milestones in data collection: "For the moment we have all the data sets that were inside the consortium [...] and we also contacted open data sets like the Biobank and the ICA. We are in the process of getting all that information from those partners. We have all the agreements, [we are] just finishing the signing." Looking ahead, Ribeiro explains their next objectives: "For the moment, we are searching for more adult data sets regarding cohort analysis because we need that to make a prediction of the risk from the child to adulthood. So we are in the process of getting information for adults and older [...] participants that we can use to make a [...] very accurate risk prediction."

Co-designing effective #healthcare tools requires flexibility, engagement, and careful planning. These become even more important in the case of large-scale, multi-country, multi-stakeholder co-design 🤝 SmartCHANGE’s latest webinar highlighted the best practices for these complex processes: 👪 Adapt and tailor to individual and group needs ⚖️Balance project goals and participants' interests 🤝 Engage stakeholders meaningfully 🧐Leverage the expertise and experiences of different facilitators These insights are key to building impactful tools! Find out more in our latest webinar👇 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dwmEZKMV

Connecting EU-Taiwan Research and Innovation Communities 🌏 SmartCHANGE is proud to participate in a unique Brokerage Event aimed at fostering collaboration between #EU and #Taiwanese research communities under Horizon Europe! 📅 When: 08:30 – 11:30 CET / 15:30 – 18:30 Taipei Time (Hybrid) 📍 Where: Brussels & Online 🔑 Highlights: -Insights into Horizon Europe opportunities for Taiwan -Presentations from leading EU-Taiwan partnerships, including SmartCHANGE -Networking sessions across thematic clusters like Health, Climate, & Digital Find out more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dY7wdQj6

SmartCHANGE General Assembly in Rome: Progress, Ethics & Collaboration ✨ On November 18–19, the SmartCHANGE consortium gathered in the Eternal City for its fourth meeting, hosted by Engineering Group. This strategic event marked 18 months of progress and set the stage for exciting next steps in #healthcare innovation. 💡Key highlights : ✅ Progress on 5 planned studies, with recruitment underway via schools and healthcare specialists. ✅ Ethics Board’s first in-person meeting tackling #datacollection, app usage ethics, and user engagement. ✅ Strengthened collaborations with sister projects and preparations for major international events in 2025. With exciting milestones ahead - study launches, software finalisation, and enhanced partnerships - SmartCHANGE is shaping the future of #healthcare through co-design and AI-driven solutions. 📰 Want to know more? Dive into the full story👇https://lnkd.in/d5GsURsJ

Co-designing #healthcare tools across borders requires a thoughtful and structured approach. In SmartCHANGE’s latest webinar, experts shared best practices for defining a protocol for large-scale, multi-country, multi-stakeholder co-design. Here are four key principles: ✅ Make assumptions explicit ⚖️ Balance flexibility and guidance 🎓 Ongoing training ⏳ Realistic timeline Want to learn more? Watch the recording of our latest webinar: 🔗https://lnkd.in/dwmEZKMV

And that's it! Thank you all for the effort in the past few days, and a great thank you especially to our hosts, Elena Mancuso, PhD, Valentina Di Giacomo and Federica Saccà from Engineering Group. Onwards in this healthy journey together!

We now hear from our coordinator, Mitja Lustrek from Jozef Stefan Institute, who outlines the next steps of the project and provides a common groundwork with which to be well-prepared for the intense months ahead!

Before our wrap-up session, we have a few words from Jose Ribeiro from Universidade do Porto outlining the major steps taken in the creation of international collaborations with the project