IAT – Institute for Work and Technology at the University of Applied Sciences Gelsenkirchen

Germany

The Westfalische Hochschule Gelsenkirchen, Bocholt Recklinhausen (IAT) is a research organisation of the University of Applied Sciences Gelsenkirchen (Germany). The organisation is also a cooperation partner of the Ruhr-University Bochum (Germany). Its activities are aiming towards the objective of improving prosperity and quality of life. The subjects of the institute’s research, development, testing and diffusion are knowledge and innovation.

The Institute for Work and Technology carries out basic research, analyses current development trends and concepts to increase wealth and quality of life and collaborates with national and international organisations. Medical and technical developments, demographic change as well as the increasing importance of health promotion are the activity’s starting points.

New and integrative solutions are carried out to combine the requirements of both the demand and supply side. The area of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) and its links to topics like Health Industries and Silver Economy is a priority within the research group. The IAT had developed a concept for a “virtual retirement home” in the mid- 90s. The concept allowed older people a long life at home and was tested as a pilot project.

Our Competences: The IAT

• Focuses especially on the following subjects: Products and services improving the quality of life for the elderly (“Initiative Silver Economy”); work, qualification and management; utilization of technical instruments to improve efficiency and quality; analyzing and designing the health industry on local and regional levels.

• Disposes of interdisciplinary and methodological competences in order to efficiently handle research and development problems in a competent and speedy manner.

• In-house access to knowledge and authority in the following fields: economy, sociology, political science, regional economic planning, medical science, biology, occupational and professional training research.

• Has successfully completed numerous research and design projects.

• Cooperates closely with the players in health industry and health policy.

• Is capable of putting its analyses and findings into practice and translating them into advice for actions for institutions, enterprises, regions and for politics.

Projects:

• Lifescience.biz – Developing new business models for preventive measures with help of new technologies

• Age Friendly City – coordination of regional studies in the Ruhr-Area (WHO-project)

• Coordination of the “Silver Economy Office” in North Rhine-Westphalia

• eHealth@home – developing business models to support a self-determined life in an ageing society

• Scientific supervision of the “Deutsches Informationsportal Telemedizin”

Key personnel involved in the project

PD Dr Josef Hilbert Representative to MOPACT
Peter Enste Research fellow
Sebastian Merkel Research fellow

Main tasks attributed to them in the project

• Innovation Prospects Report – The report identifies current trends in ICT, housing and mobility in Europe

• Research protocol – The protocol defines the methods used in this task

• Case Study Hand-out – The hand-outs will give statements which will be given to the experts for discussion

• International Workshop – The workshop will focus on the results provided by the case studies

• Trend reports / Policy and Business recommendations – The trend reports will give recommendations on improving the transfer process from social sciences to industrial and political stakeholders

Short profile of all personnel and previous relevant experience

PD Dr Josef Hilbert

• Social Scientist and Health Economist;

• CEO of the IAT and head of the research department “Health Economy and Quality of life”;

• President of the Network of German Health Regions

• Outside lecturer in health economics at the medical faculty of the Ruhr-University of Bochum.

Peter Enste

• Social Scientist;

• Since 2006 Research fellow at the Institute for Work and Technology, Research Department Health Industries & Quality of Life;

• Regional Project management “Ageing in a foreign land”, global project of the New York Academy of Medicine;

• Regional Project assistant “Age Friendly Cities”, global project of the World Health Organisation

Sebastian Merkel

• Social and Politcal Scientist;

• Since 2010 Research fellow at the Institute for Work and Technology, Research Department Health Industries & Quality of Life;

• Project assistant “Silver Economy in North Rhine-Westphalia”, project of the Ministry for

Intergenerational Affairs, Family , Women and Integration of North Rhine-Westphalia

IAT website