EVOLVE2CARE in Istanbul: Innovating Transitional Care

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On May 12–13, 2025, the EVOLVE2CARE project team gathered at Başakşehir Living Lab in Istanbul, Turkey, for two days packed with strategizing the project’s next steps and engagement with stakeholders from the global network of Living Labs specialised in Healthcare!

The first day was dedicated to the project’s internal plenary meeting; not just another coordination meetup, but a valuable opportunity to gather in person, take a step back, and align on how to move forward. The second day took a different shape: EVOLVE2CARE stepped into the spotlight of the “Health & Wellbeing Living Lab Symposium 2025” as a key contributor and facilitator to the event’s agenda!

Day 1: A strategic in-person meeting with a purpose

Hosting the meeting in Istanbul served to connect the project’s internal momentum with the wider energy of the Living Lab community.

The agenda of the meeting focused on five main priorities:

  • Finalising the Open Call process that connects healthcare innovators with Living Labs, along with its promotion strategy
  • Confirming the timeline for the upcoming training programmes for both Living Labs and innovators
  • Discussing the forthcoming “EVOLVE2CARE Action Plan” deliverable
  • Outlining the feedback loop required to address regulatory aspects relevant to HealthTech experimentation
  • Preliminary planning for the final project event

Key highlights:

  • Presenting the purpose and promotion of the key performance indicator framework, based on barriers and enablers identified in Deliverable 1.1, “Roadmap on Navigating the Complexities of Enabling Innovative Technologies in Transitional Care”
  • Demonstrating the AccelUp and SPLORO platforms for application processing for the Open Call and discussing data management procedures
  • Sharing a draft version of the six training modules for Living Labs and innovators, including session structure and learning objectives
  • Showcasing communication achievements using meaningful KPIs from the website and social media channels
  • Highlighting upcoming milestones to support the Open Call and planning participation in targeted events to boost project visibility

Key decisions from the EVOLVE2CARE plenary meeting:

  • Final adjustments are being made to the Open Call procedure to ensure that the whole process, as well as the AccelUp and SPLORO platforms, are fully functional and seamless for applicants.
  • Agreement to enhance the AccelUp platform with structured fields and profiling techniques to better support the application and matchmaking procedures.
  • Core structure and timeline for the six training sessions for Living Labs and parallel programmes for innovators and researchers.
  • A new phase of communication efforts will be launched, including updated outreach materials, demo videos for both platforms, a FAQ-based social media series

Day 2: Sharing the EVOLVE2CARE vision within the HealthTech community

The next day, the EVOLVE2CARE team participated in the Health and Wellbeing Living Lab Symposium 2025, which gathered local and international stakeholders from the HealthTech sector. As part of the Symposium, the project team designed and delivered an interactive workshop titled “Unlocking HealthTech Innovation: Living Labs & Transitional Care with EVOLVE2CARE.” The session was chaired by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), with SPLORO and ViLabs facilitating as moderators, and included an open exchange of information with the audience — primarily Living Labs from across Europe.

The session covered:

  • The role of Living Labs in HealthTech Experimentation and Innovation
  • The structure and purpose of the EVOLVE2CARE Open Call
  • A hands-on demonstration of the AccelUp platform
  • An interactive exercise where participants paired up as “innovators” and “living labs” to simulate real-world engagement

It wasn’t just a presentation — it was a conversation. With most attendees representing Living Labs, the session created space for practical dialogue around the Open Call, the project’s vision in the Transitional Care sector, and future collaboration opportunities.

The Health and Wellbeing Living Lab Symposium 2025 was organised with the support of EVOLVE2CARE, reflecting the project’s commitment to advancing collaboration and knowledge exchange in the HealthTech field. The AUTH coordination team also participated in the event’s Best Papers Award Committees, contributing to the evaluation and recognition of innovative work presented during the Symposium.

EVOLVE2CARE left Istanbul with renewed momentum, stronger partnerships, and a shared sense of purpose for the next phase of the project!

First project workshop on empowering Innovators to transform Transitional Care

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On March 4, 2025, the EVOLVE2CARE project launched its online workshop series, bringing together experts, researchers, and healthcare professionals to explore innovative approaches in Transitional Care.

The workshop, titled “Empowering Innovators to Transform Transitional Care”, was the first out of three online events from the “Accelerating Innovation in Transitional Care” workshop series and brought together over 15 healthcare experts to explore how Living Labs drive innovation and support real-world experimentation.

Teemu Santonen, Principal Lecturer at Laurea University of Applied Sciences, shared insights into the Living Lab approach, showcasing how their Living Lab in Finland tested innovative health monitoring sensors. 

More specifically, during the first session, Teemu highlighted the role of Living Labs in healthcare innovation, particularly for people with dementia, and provided a detailed case study illustrating the importance of market validation and user-driven development. This approach ensures that living Labs facilitate real-world validation of healthcare technologies by ensuring alignment with user needs, ethical considerations, and market feasibility.

Below are the key takeaways from his presentation:

Case Study: Wearable sensors for dementia patients & the role of living labs

  • Aalto University developed and tested a biodegradable wearable pressure and temperature sensor in a lab environment with the aim of commercialization.
  • Their initial funding application to Business Finland was rejected due to a lack of proper user and market research.
  • By partnering with Living Labs, a new joint funding application was submitted, incorporating a Living Lab approach—this time, the funding was approved.

This case study highlighted that Living Labs are often essential for securing funding, as they demonstrate market relevance and product feasibility.

Defining Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) & the challenges of scaling innovations

Understanding Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) is essential for assessing the maturity of health tech innovations.

  • The project initially assumed the solution was at TRL 4 (validated in a lab setting). However, further evaluation showed that only parts of the solution had been tested, and it lacked real-world implementation.
  • Without proper user interaction and a clear commercialization strategy, the actual TRL was lower, reinforcing the importance of Living Labs in guiding innovation from early development to market entry.

Co-defining the values of the EVOLVE2CARE’s KPI Framework

One of the biggest challenges in healthcare innovation is ensuring that new solutions meet the expectations of innovators while also addressing business needs, user requirements, and data access challenges. To tackle this, the EVOLVE2CARE project has developed a KPI framework that helps measure the development and impact of health tech innovations within Living Labs.

Five (5) KPI EVOLVE2CARE’s categories identified:

  • Business & Scale-Up Support – Helping innovators secure funding, expand, and reach new markets.
  • User Recruitment & Engagement – Ensuring real-world feedback shapes innovation.
  • Access to Data & Legal Support – Overcoming compliance and regulatory barriers.
  • Real-Life Testing & Experimentation – Supporting clinical trials, prototyping, and product validation.
  • Collaboration & Networking Opportunities – Strengthening partnerships across public, private, and academic sectors.

Interactive KPI ranking: What matters most?

Through an interactive quiz, participants ranked the most critical KPIs for assessing innovation success, providing valuable feedback that will shape future evaluation methods in the field.

Key insights from the poll:

  • Business & Scale-Up Support ranked as the highest priority, highlighting the importance of funding and market expansion, while Access to Data & Legal Support ranked lower than all.
  • The market adoption rate of innovations ranked as the most important KPI for scaling success, while the number of innovations expanded into new markets received neither one vote.
  • User satisfaction with the innovation process ranked as the most critical KPI for measuring engagement.
  • The biggest barrier to accessing relevant data for innovation was identified as data privacy and legal restrictions.
  • Cross-border networking was identified as the most valuable type of collaboration for innovators, reinforcing the importance of international cooperation in healthcare innovation.

What’s next?

As the workshop series continues, future sessions will further explore innovative solutions in Transitional Care. The upcoming workshops will elaborate on how innovative solutions can better cover the needs of the Healthcare stakeholders, and how significant barriers can be overcome.

More specifically:

  • The second workshop will explore “Aligning Innovation with Healthcare Stakeholder Needs.”
  • The final session will address “Breaking Barriers—Key Factors for Driving Innovation in Transitional Care.”

Interested in joining the conversation?

Completed

EVOLVE2CARE presented at ENoLL Harmonization WG

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On February 14, 2025 the EVOLVE2CARE project was featured at the Harmonization Working Group (WG) meeting of the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL). The session brought together participants from Living Labs across Europe and beyond to explore new ways for collaboration and alignment. The discussion included participants from Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada, highlighting the group’s international scope and shared commitment to harmonized practices.

To be more specific, the Harmonization WG seeks to promote greater coherence among Living Lab methodologies, supporting innovation while preserving the flexibility that distinguishes the Living Lab model. This approach directly aligns with EVOLVE2CARE’s objectives to foster accessible, cutting-edge HealthTech innovation in Transitional Care.

During the meeting, EVOLVE2CARE presented a proposal to co-design application processes for external innovators and researchers wishing to engage with Living Labs for study implementation. This initiative aimed to streamline access and support evidence-based innovation across the network.

Notably, Despoina Petsani, who co-chaired the Working Group, held a dual role — representing the ThessAHALL Living Lab as well as EVOLVE2CARE as the project’s coordinator.