Regions & Partners
SAGE-HUB unites diverse European ecosystems, each contributing unique expertise to Smart Ageing innovation. The partnership includes SMEs, universities, research centres, and innovation hubs collaborating to co-create solutions for Europe’s ageing challenge.
DIZ | ROMANIA | COORDINATOR
Digital Innovation Zone (eDIH-DIZ) is the first European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) in North-East Romania, dedicated to accelerating digital transformation and technological progress. Our mission is to create a strong innovation ecosystem that enhances access to advanced technologies, educational resources, and funding opportunities, fostering competitiveness and economic sustainability.
An important part of DIZ is Health Innovation Zone (HIZ), a unique pre-validation program for innovative health solutions, offering access to experts, mentors, testing facilities, and a fast track to the international ecosystem.
Health Cluster | PORTUGAL | PARTNER
The Health Cluster Portugal’s mission is to contribute to greater competitiveness in the national health value chain by enhancing the knowledge generated and available in universities, research institutes, hospitals and companies within a framework of economic and social development, sustainability and more and better health for all. In this sense, its main objective is to mobilize, aggregate and catalyze the health ecosystem in order to facilitate and accelerate its development, which involves enriching the interaction between its different actors (promoting collaborative practices in the national and international context) and identifying obstacles and opportunities (overcoming some and enhancing others by building innovative solutions, within a framework leveraged by its recognition and notoriety, seeking to contribute to greater generation of wealth, guaranteeing the sustainability of the entire system, aiming for more and better health for citizens).
Prizztech | FINLAND | PARTNER
Prizztech Ltd is a non-profit economic development company owned by the municipalities of Satakunta. Prizztech’s mission is to strengthen the vitality of the region, and Prizztech’s vision is to act as an agile navigator towards growth services. The company supports businesses at every stage of their lifecycle – from establishment to growth, internationalization, and renewal – while also implementing local, national, and international projects. Prizztech’s operations are built on extensive collaboration with municipalities, companies, educational institutions, and research organizations, as well as with national and international networks.
Prizztech’s strategic focus areas include supporting the creation of new businesses, providing growth and business development services, advancing sustainable industry and green growth, promoting new technologies and business models, and offering investment promotion and location services. Prizztech’s values: customer orientation, entrepreneurship, partnership, development-driven mindset, and expertise – guide its work, with the ultimate goal of building a vital, adaptable, and competitive Satakunta.
i2cat | SPAIN | PARTNER
The i2CAT research centre drives advanced digital solutions through applied research and innovation. The centre has over 20 years of multi-technology expertise in 5G/6G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Cybersecurity, Blockchain, Space Communications, Immersive, Interactive, and Digital Society Technologies. With an approach focused on knowledge transfer, i2CAT generates a tangible impact on the economy and improves people’s lives by connecting public administration, private enterprise, the scientific community and citizens. i2CAT is a Government of Catalonia CERCA centre accredited by the TECNIO certification.An important part of DIZ is Health Innovation Zone (HIZ), a unique pre-validation program for innovative health solutions, offering access to experts, mentors, testing facilities, and a fast track to the international ecosystem.
UMF IASI | ROMANIA | PARTNER
The University of Medicine and Pharmacy Grigore T. Popa Iasi is a complex higher education institution, comprising four faculties: Medicine, Pharmacy, Dental Medicine and Medical Bioengineering. With a teaching staff made up of 926 persons, it trains approximately 10,000 students in 16 specializations, in three languages of instruction: Romanian, English and French. Continuous training, through postgraduate education, includes approximately 4000 resident physicians, 508 PhD students and 360 master`s students.
The MAVIS Technology Transfer Center, part of the “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Iași, is a key structure within the regional innovation ecosystem, acting as a bridge between research and development (R&D) actors, the business environment, and end-users. It also functions as an accelerator for innovative products and services, either through the valorization of research results or by addressing the specific needs of companies to develop, improve, test, validate, or transfer a new product or technology to the market, in response to consumer challenges. MAVIS aims to enhance innovation capacity and leverage research results for the business environment by establishing and operationalizing state-of-the-art laboratories and workshops, equipped with unique and cutting-edge technology assets.
Since April 20, 2024, CTT MAVIS has been accredited as a Technology Transfer Center in the field of Health – prevention, advanced diagnostics, and treatment and holds the title of entity within the ReNITT i nfrastructure.
Caritas Coimbra | GREECE | PARTNER
Cáritas Coimbra is a non-profit organisation that supports people and communities across five districts of the Central Region of Portugal. With decades of experience in Education, Health, Social Action, Family and Community, it works with children and young people at risk, older adults, people living with HIV/AIDS, individuals with addictions, the homeless and many others in vulnerable situations. Through its extensive network of centres and dedicated professionals, Cáritas Coimbra reaches thousands of people every year, always aiming to promote dignity, inclusion and wellbeing.
For more than a decade, Cáritas Coimbra has been involved in European and national funded projects, testing innovative solutions designed especially for older adults and other groups in need. It has taken part in pilots and living labs such as AAL4ALL, ValueCare, Pharaon, AGAPE, GrowMeUp, DAPAS, SmartWork and others. The organisation also engages in projects promoting health care and digital literacy, emotional wellbeing, and mental health among young people, older persons, and groups with vulnerabilities.
At Cáritas Coimbra, we like to say we are not inventors, we are innovators. We innovate with people and for people, acting as a bridge between technological progress and real community needs. Recognised internationally for its positive social impact, Cáritas Coimbra continues to be an agent of change in creating more inclusive, healthier, intelligent, ethical and caring societies. Prizztech’s strategic focus areas include supporting the creation of new businesses, providing growth and business development services, advancing sustainable industry and green growth, promoting new technologies and business models, and offering investment promotion and location services. Prizztech’s values: customer orientation, entrepreneurship, partnership, development-driven mindset, and expertise – guide its work, with the ultimate goal of building a vital, adaptable, and competitive Satakunta.
Government of Canary Islands | SPAIN | PARTNER
(Economy Department)
The Directorate-General for the Self-Employed (Dirección General de Autónomos) is a newly established governing body within the Ministry of Economy, Industry, Commerce, and the Self-Employed of the Canary Islands. Its mission is to strengthen the regional entrepreneurship and self-employment ecosystem by simplifying procedures, coordinating stakeholders, and deploying support instruments that foster sustainable, knowledge-driven growth aligned with the UN 2030 Agenda. Flagship actions include “cuota cero” grants (refunds of reduced social security contributions for new self-employed workers) and initiatives to streamline guidance and services for self-employed individuals across the archipelago.
ΑΚΜΙ | GREECE | PARTNER
AKMI is the largest VET provider in Greece and one of the 7 largest in Europe. It was founded back in 1989 and today is active in 9 cities across Greece (Athens, Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Herakleion, Larissa, Rhodes, Chalkida, Elliniko, Alexandroupoli) representing almost 60% of the total VET sector in the country providing post-secondary education, of EQF levels 3-5. Every year, approximately 18.000 active students are enrolled with the aim of studying one of the 112 specialties, in more than 380 laboratories in 14 different sectors. AKMI S.A. employs approximately 1200 people as permanent staff and collaborates with a multitude of teachers who are entrusted with the delivery of courses to students. AKMI has been awarded as “The most Innovative VET Provider in Europe” by the EVSW 2022.
AKMI S. A. has extensive experience in managing European Funds and implementing large projects. More specifically, AKMI has an extensive and demonstrated experience in Training Needs Analysis, Curricula Design, Development of Training Material and Delivery of trainings. It is a member of EVBB (European Association of Vocational Institutes) with a strong presence on the board of the organization and having taken over the General Secretariat and the Vice Presidency of the organization. EVBB is the European umbrella association of non-profit providers of Vocational Education and Training (VET) with more than 65 members coming both from the private and the public sector and covers all fields related to initial, advanced and further education and training. Recently AKMI also joined EfVET as all of the other VET institutions involved in this project.
Instituto Pedro Nunes | PORTUGAL | PARTNER
Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN) is a non-profit private organisation founded by the University of Coimbra, acting as a key interface between academia and industry to promote innovation, applied research, and technology transfer. With over three decades of experience, IPN operates across three strategic pillars: specialised training, applied R&D through six advanced laboratories, and the incubation and acceleration of technology-based companies.
Within the SAge Hub project, IPN brings deep expertise in the development of digital health and Smart Ageing solutions, particularly in the medical devices sector. Its certified processes (ISO 13485) support the full product development cycle—from the design and development of telemedicine and telerehabilitation solutions, to pre-clinical and clinical validation in collaboration with ULS Coimbra and the TEF-Health network. IPN also provides regulatory support for CE and FDA marking, quality management systems, and compliance with the AI Act.
IPN is a founding member of Ageing@Coimbra, a European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP-AHA) reference site awarded four stars, recognising its excellence in promoting healthy ageing through innovation. The institute has played a leading role in European initiatives such as the AAL Forum and the Multidisciplinary Institute of Ageing (MIA-Portugal).
Through its incubator and accelerator, IPN supports startups and SMEs in validating business models, securing investment, and scaling internationally via soft-landing programmes and interregional investment pipelines across more than 25 countries.
Institute of Entrepreneurship Development
GREECE | PARTNER
Institute of Entrepreneurship Development (iED) is an award-winning Greek non-profit organisation committed to the promotion of innovation and the enhancement of the entrepreneurial spirit. Established in 2005, in Larissa, Greece, iED is a certified leading Center of Excellence in European entrepreneurship and a fast-growing Digital Innovation Hub, registered as a member of the European Commission’s catalog of DIHs.