Age Platform Europe
European Union
AGE Platform Europe AISBL is a European Network of more than 160 organizations for people aged 50+. AGE members represent about 28 million older people across the EU-27 and candidate countries. AGE aims to voice and promote the interests of senior citizens (150 million inhabitants aged 50+ in the European Union) and to raise awareness on the issues that concern them most. AGE Platform Europe aims to serve as a bridge between its member organizations and the EU Institutions, to ensure that older people’s issues are on the EU agenda and their views are taken on board in EU policy development.
AGE Platform Europe is a member of various European consultative bodies: Advisory Committee of the Science in Society Programme, European Pensions Forum, Advisory Group of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Generations and Gender Programme, Expert group for the interim evaluation of the AAL Programme.
AGE’s policy work targets at influencing European and national level on different policies concerning older people, from public transport, new technologies to build environment policies and health, based on older people’s perspective. To support AGE policy work on ICT and accessibility, an Expert Group on Universal Accessibility and Independent Living (WGUAIL) has established.
Since 2008, AGE has engaged with various research projects on ICT, eInclusion, eHealth and mobility, bringing evidence of the needs of the older users and engaging them in User Fora, Advisory Boards and consultations. Besides its policy and monitoring activities, AGE is involved in the dissemination of relevant information to its network through various channels (AGE monthly on-line newsletter, brochures, participation in seminars, workshops and campaigns and the AGE website).
Key personnel involved in the project
Alice Sinigaglia is campaign and project coordinator at AGE Platform Europe. She currently participates in the MOPACT, INNOVAGE and ICARE4EU European projects. Her main tasks include drafting policy recommendations for each project pinpointing the implications for older users, coordinating AGE experts input in the projects, promoting projects’ findings and helping ensure a long-term impact of project outcomes. Alice is also in charge of supporting AGE campaign for an age-friendly European Union by 2020.
Alice graduated in International Economics at the University of Padova (Italy) in 2007. Afterwards, she broadened her knowledge of European policies during an Executive Master in International Relations and an internship at the Permanent Representation of Italy to the EU. Since March 2009, she has been working for AGE Platform Europe in the field of communication, project management and user involvement. Besides her contribution to several European projects (INCLUSage, WeDO, ASCE, ICARE4EU, GoACT, FUTURAGE, INNOVAGE and MOPACT), she coordinated the campaign to get and implement a European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations in 2012.
Ilenia Gheno is Research Project Manager at AGE Platform Europe. Since January 2009, she is in charge of the overall coordination of AGE EU Research Projects. She is responsible for the elaboration of projects’ activity plans, budget expenditure, financial reporting and accounting. Ilenia is also directly involved in specific projects (currently GOLDENWORKERS and ASAPS), manages AGE participation in tenders and call for proposals, and the engagement of AGE experts on European projects related to Universal Design, Health and eHealth, Accessibility and ICT. She contributes to monitoring of user involvement in projects and ensures a wide dissemination of project results.
She manages AGE Research Projects (10 European projects funded under the 7PF and CIP-PSP Programmes: AALIANCE, Aeneas, DREAMING, HOME SWEET HOME, Mediate, FUTURAGE, OASIS, VERITAS, e-Access, Atis4ALL) in relation to their financial and administrative tasks, as well as dealing with the engagement of AGE members and experts in project activities (User Fora, Advisory Boards, online trainings for older users, site visits, …) and with the dissemination of projects’ events and outcomes throughout AGE broad network.
Since January 2009 she has been working for AGE Platform Europe as a Research Project Coordinator, managing among others AGE participation in ICT-related research projects targeting older users (OASIS, VERITAS, e-Access) as well as the deployment of assistive technologies in pilot sites (DREAMING, HOME SWEET HOME).
Main tasks attributed to them in the project
Project Management, Dissemination activities, policy activities.