SySI Net Care addresses the demographic reality of a rapidly ageing population and the associated pressure on care systems by building a transregional network of stakeholders and by co‑creating practice‑ready innovations. The project—co‑funded under Interreg VI‑A Slovakia–Austria 2021–2027—aims to strengthen systemic and sustainable integration in social services through research, peer learning and pilot activities that are transferable on both sides of the border.
At the Vienna meeting, partners reviewed work strands ranging from comparative ecosystem analyses and expert interviews to the design of pop‑up think tanks, policy briefs and an educational module. This module will bundle cross‑border insights (e.g., staffing strategies near the border, digital health tools, and integrated care pathways) and be tested with students and professionals before wider roll‑out in the border region.
Another theme of the gathering was Creative Ageing—the use of arts‑, design‑ and participation‑based approaches to enable senior adults to learn, express agency and co‑produce knowledge about what “good care” means in different local and regional contexts. In SySI Net Care, creative ageing is not a side activity but a methodological engine: the project foresees experiential learning workshops, co‑creation with seniors and care experts, and a travelling exhibition that carries citizens’ perspectives into policy conversations and a wider audience in Vienna and Bratislava.
The innovation potential discussed with consortium partners in Vienna spans three layers:
Service design & workforce pathways – co‑developed toolkits and training that help municipalities and providers align roles across qualification levels, including 24‑hour and home‑based care, and that make better use of digital supports across the border is one of the main outcomes of the project.
Participation & public value – creative ageing workshops and pop‑up think tanks that bring citizens, carers, policy makers and influencers into structured dialogue, translating lived experience into implementable micro‑innovations and policy options.
Knowledge transfer & visibility – a roaming exhibition and an online learning module that consolidate good practices, reduce duplication across regions, and accelerate adoption will be implemented in the third project year.
Pamela Bartar’s expertise was visible throughout the meeting. At ZSI, she has advanced creative and participatory approaches at the nexus of citizen engagement, arts‑based methods and science communication; in SySI Net Care, she steers the dissemination strategies as well as design and testing of creative ageing approaches, ensuring that co‑creation is embedded across research, education and outreach in the project.
Gábor Szüdi complements this with ecosystem analysis and multi‑stakeholder facilitation skills developed across R&I and social innovation projects, including recent work on trust in science and policy recommendations grounded in participatory evidence. His role in SySI Net Care focuses on structuring the comparative assessment.
By meeting at ZSI in Vienna, partners were able to connect methodological innovation with regional pragmatism: identifying feasible pilots (e.g., cross‑border staff development, community learning circles, arts‑in‑care formats), agreeing on data capture for evaluation, and aligning the forthcoming policy brief with the Interreg programme’s objectives on social services, innovation and institutional cooperation.
