Age Innovation Prize 2024

A seating aid for public transport, a platform for re-entering the labour market after retirement and digital games to prevent cognitive impairment are the winners of this year's Age Innovation Prize. The three winning projects were found to be the most effective in sustainably improving the lives of older people. The prize was launched by the Institute for Ageing Research IAF at the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, in collaboration with Switzerland Innovation Park Ost and the auditing and consulting firm EY.

Winners of the Age Innovation Prize

«FlexAssist» | ETH Zurich & Zurich University of the Arts

Age Innovation Prize 2024

Many older people find it difficult to sit and stand up safely. This is a particularly big problem on public transport, where it can lead to falls and injuries. The ‘FlexAssist’ project, developed by students at ETH Zurich and the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), aims to address this challenge with an innovative seat, for which it has received the Age Innovation Prize.

«Silver Bridge» | HR ConScience GmbH

Age Innovation Prize 2024

Demographic change and the shortage of skilled workers are major challenges for Switzerland. Nevertheless, the potential of older people for the labour market is often underestimated. To raise awareness of this, the company HR ConScience developed the ‘Silver Bridge’ platform and is being awarded the Age Innovation Prize for it.

«SIGMA-beSerious» | SUPSI

Age Innovation Prize 2024

Early signs of cognitive impairment that could indicate dementia often go unnoticed in older people. This means that intervention and treatment can only be initiated at a late stage. The SUPSI's ‘SIGMA-beSerious’ project addresses this problem with a series of digital games. ‘SIGMA-beSerious’ has been awarded the Age Innovation Prize for this novel approach to patient monitoring through gamification.

Quicklinks

Age Innovation Prize 2024

Contact us

Institute for Ageing Research IAFResearch assistant

+41 58 257 13 13cornelia.ursprung@ost.ch

Partners and Sponsors Age Innovation Prize 2024
Partners and Sponsors Age Innovation Prize 2024

Vouchers for every winning project

  • Switzerland Innovation Park Ost supports the winners in implementing their innovation. They can choose between a consulting package, a contribution to project work or a workshop worth CHF 3,000 or two working days.
  • EY Switzerland sponsors a strategy voucher that can be redeemed in the form of coaching or a workshop at EY Switzerland. It is worth CHF 5,000.
  • The winners will receive a cooperation voucher from the IAF Institute for Ageing Research. This can be redeemed in the form of a (co-creation) workshop with the target age group and the stakeholder group or in the form of a joint application and is worth CHF 7,500.
  • In addition, each project will receive a professionally produced video along with presentation and networking opportunities.

Shortlisted projects

We congratulate the following three projects, which were also invited by the jury to the pitch after the selection process, in addition to the three winning teams.

ageJOY brings joy into the lives of older and disabled people, promoting a healthy and happy life through easy access to needs-based, individual care. ageJOY offers a wide range of individual (e.g. activities and companionship) and group (e.g. performances, courses, presentations) services to make older people's lives more enjoyable. And at a fair price.

  • Eric Dumelin & Florian Borzner

Alfred is a voice-controlled companion tailored to the needs of older people. This innovative tool not only helps with memory training and structuring the day, but also answers everyday questions – all through simple voice commands. Particularly suitable for people with limited vision, Alfred largely dispenses with visual controls and is characterised by a high level of user-friendliness and universal accessibility.

Quartierplus is a digital platform for people in their post-professional years that combines digital and conventional services. It was tested in the Biel/Bienne region in November 2022 and is now available throughout Switzerland. The platform aims to fill a gap and offer people in old age with a network reliable access to knowledge, services, events and discussion forums.

  • Flavia Nicolai & Christoph Stettler

Testimonials from the winners

‘The Age Innovation Prize 2024 was a valuable confirmation of our work. The prizes will help us to further develop our standing aid, which offers older people more safety and independence in their daily lives. We particularly appreciate the exchange with other innovators and experts in the OST, which has opened up new perspectives for us. We are grateful for this support and look forward to the next steps.’

Gian Teufen & Lea Knöbel, FlexAssist

‘For us, the Age Innovation Prize 2024 is much more than just an award – it represents a milestone that opens up new avenues and opportunities for us. We are particularly looking forward to working with OST in the usability workshop, where we hope to gain valuable insights that will help us to further optimise the Silver Bridge. The planned workshops with EY and Switzerland Innovation Park Ost will also provide important impetus for tailoring our platform even better to the needs of silver agers. The award not only brings us recognition, but also opens doors to concrete, forward-looking perspectives.’

Anja Feierabend & Lea Rutishauser, HR ConSCIENCE GmbH 

‘Winning the Age Innovation Prize 2024 gave us valuable publicity at national level, helping to raise awareness about cognitive decline in older adults and the benefits of digital games for memory training and monitoring. More than just an award, it also marks the start of an exciting collaboration with the IAF and OST, which we truly appreciate.’

Sara Levati, SIGMA-beSerious

Award ceremony video

Mini-Kongress Forschung und Alter(n) mit Verleihung des Age Innovation Prize 2024

Impressions of the award ceremony