TIDE - Telematics for the Integration of Disabled and Elderly people. A European Research and Development Response.

Egidio Ballabio, Head of Unit, European Commission

TIDE Office
European Commission DGXIII/C5
Rue de la Loi, 200 (BU29 3/13)
B-1049 Brussels
Fax : +32 2 299 0248 or + 32 2 295 1300
Email : tide@dg13.cec.be

Web Posted on: November 22, 1997

Introduction

A number of European Union (EU) policies and programmes have implications for the quality of life of older people and people with disabilities (consumer affairs, transportation, equality, etc.). For convenience, here we can distinguish between 3 broad types of activity - Social Actions, Legal and Regulatory Actions, and RTD (Research and Technological Development) Actions.

Social Actions

The EU's competence in the social area is restricted by its treaties. In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity by which actions at European level should be undertaken only if they are better done at that level than at the Member States, direct action related to older people and people with disabilities are confined to sharing of information and experience, transferring knowledge and initiatives. The EU Programmes HELIOS and HORIZON are initiatives of this type.

Legal and Regulatory Actions

The second type of EU activity covers technical work in the field of standardisation (such as the introduction into the standardisation process of the requirement of disabled and elderly people and the creation of the conditions for their participation in the work of European standardisation bodies) and in the field of regulation (such as the inclusion of requirements related to disability and ageing in the elaboration and application of EU directives, namely, the telecommunications terminal equipment directive). Also included in this type of activity is the social policy work such as the elaboration of the proposed anti- discrimination clauses possibly to be introduced into Community law during the next revision of the EU treaties

RTD Actions

The third type of activity which has implications for the quality of life of older people is EU Research and Technological Development activity. The EU organises its RTD activities into 5 year plans called Framework Programmes. Currently the Fourth Framework Programme (IVFP, 1994 - 1998) is in operation with a total initial budget of 15.4 billion dollars (12.3 billion ECU). The objectives of these programmes are both economic and social. The programmes aim to increase the competitiveness of European industry and secure the best prospects for its economic growth for the benefit of its citizens. Keywords are therefore - industrial competitiveness, sustainable economic growth, employment creation and quality of life. Support for research is provided in a variety of areas which range from research into Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to research into agriculture, from research into material sciences to research in the social sciences, etc. RTD in the area of Information and communication technologies - ICT, accounts for more than 30% of the RTD & Demonstration budget. There are three distinct but interrelated programmes under the ICT banner - Telematics Applications, Communication Technologies and Information Technologies. TIDE (Telematics for the Integration of Disabled and Elderly people) is part of the Telematics Applications programme.

TIDE Initiative: objectives and scope

TIDE (originally 'Technology' and now 'Telematics for the Integration of Disabled and Elderly people') is a programme in Assistive Technology - AT. Assistive Technology is defined in TIDE as Information and Communication Technologies, services or systems which can help prevent or compensate for functional limitation, facilitate independent living and which can enable elderly and disabled people realise their potential.

The role of technologies and services in supporting independent living is gaining increasing attention. These technologies and services are perceived to have important implications for the quality of life of older people and people with disabilities as well as for the market for assistive technology (both products and services) and for the possible containment or reduction in health and care budgets.

The programme has an industrial and a social goal. From the industrial perspective it aims to improve the competitiveness of European industry in AT. From the social perspective it aims to improve the autonomy and quality of life of disabled and elderly people in Europe. Up to date TIDE has invested some 150 million US dollare (120 MECUs) in almost 100 R & D projects. These projects cover the main areas in the Assistive Technology field related to communication and information technologies. Support is provided to research and development into new products and services for older people and people with disabilities and also towards the development of adaptations to existing products. More generically, the programme promotes the 'design for all' approach as a means to providing for the needs of many older and disabled people in a cost-effective manner.

Three main groups of people are addressed. They are listed in order of their numerical strength as follows -

1) the majority of older people who like all members of society, require some support and assistance in everyday life yet, who are unlikely to define themselves as having a disability

2) older people with a disability - included here are people who come to the experience of ageing having encountered disability earlier in life perhaps even from birth or early childhood and disabled older people who confront disability for the first time relatively late in life and thirdly

3) younger people with a disability. It is recognised that while these groups have many interests, needs and problems in common, they also have particular interests, needs and problems. The three groupings constitute a large and growing proportion of the European population.

TIDE Strategy and Model

In order to achieve the industrial and social goals outlined above, TIDE, as with other European Union RTD programmes, has created a framework for co-operation and coordination between the parties involved in AT in Europe - industries, researchers and users. This is done through supporting collaborative RTD projects involving partners from different sectors in the different Member States of the EU. EU funding for RTD projects amounts to 50% of costs with participants providing matching funding. In addition to the RTD projects, TIDE is helping to develop the supportive infrastructure and market conditions for a successful European AT industry. Important in this context are the TIDE 'horizontal' or 'support actions' (which are not R & D actions per se), which analyse the AT market along with factors involved in the uptake and use of AT. These includes initiatives which encourage standardisation, regulation and rationalisation. These horizontal projects receive 100% funding from the TIDE programme.

The TIDE Model requires the participation of the parties involved (the sector actors: industries, researchers, users and their organisations) throughout all the different stages of the RTD process. Firstly the programme of work i.e. the research agenda, is developed in collaboration with the sector actors. Secondly each research consortium (bidding for RTD funding through the submission of a project proposal following a formal call for proposals by the European Commission), is required to have a mix of these actors. Thirdly, the consortium must involve transnational collaboration (at least 2 non-affiliated partners from different member states of the EU). Finally the proposals are evaluated by sector actors against technical, financial, management and strategic criteria which reflect the needs and aspirations of the parties involved.

The TIDE Model requires that proposals submitted take into account, what we call the five TIDE principles. Thus it is required that development of AT under TIDE is geared towards the market and towards developing prototype products and services with good industrial potential; projects are requested to explicitly describe the market segment and to submit plans for exploitation of the results of the project (market-oriented principle). Developments are to focus on innovation and adaptation of new technologies to satisfy the needs of elderly and disabled persons and, in addition, to indicate where contributions are be made to standards (technology adaptation and innovation principle). TIDE projects were further required to address the multidisciplinary nature of technological development, uptake and use and to demonstrate an appropriate balance of disciplines to support their particular technological development objectives (multidisciplinary approach principle). Of prime importance is the requirement for projects to take user needs on board, to study user requirements and incorporate findings in their wok (user-focused principle). Finally, it is required that developments are evaluated by users or consumers (technology verification principle).

TIDE IMPLEMENTATION

TIDE was inititated in 1991 with a Pilot Phase of 22.5 million US $ (18 MECU) of EU funding covering 20 projects now finished, followed in 1994 by a Bridge Phase of 52.5 million US $ (42 MECU) covering 55 projects about to be finished and by a Telematics Phase of 90 million US $ (71 MECU) of about 50 projects (32 from a call in 1996 actually running and the rest in the process of being selected following a call for proposals to be closed on 15th April 1997.

Concerning the call now underway, proposals were invited in relation to two main lines of research and development- one which focuses on access to technologies and services to support independent living, the second which focuses on technologies which compensate for functional limitations.

The first line encourages the development and access to a wide range of products and services which can support autonomy and help improve the quality of life of disabled and older persons. Modification of the environment in order to make accessible telecommunications facilities, computer stations, domestic space, working and educational sites, environmental control, mobility and transport facilities, etc, are examples of work in this line of RTD. This line of work will include, in addition to assistive devices and to devices designed for all environments, the enhancement of the quality of service delivery and care services through the application of information and communication technologies. Better support from services and service providers means, for people with disabilities or older people, an increasing equalisation of opportunities and better guarantees of succeeding in life. The principle of 'Design for All' or 'Universal Access' is a key element for many of the future projects.

In a complementary manner, the second line aims to develop special devices and services for disabled and older persons which can compensate for functional limitations and so can help them to integrate more fully into society. The TIDE funding will promote RTD to develop applications for the communication functions (speech, language, and alternative and augmentative communication (AAC)), for the visual function, the hearing and signing functions in the motor functions and for the cognitive functions. Areas of growing interest and activity in this line of work are: FES (Functional Electrical Stimulation) applications into daily living situations, new generations of hearing aids and hearing assessment methods, compatibility and interoperability between AAC systems, ability training methods, etc.

The EU has a number of agreements with non-EU countries regarding co-operation in the different areas of RTD. As a result of these agreements, participation in RTD projects in the Telematics area will be possible. Participants from non-EU countries will be required to bring their own funding (100% of their costs) to any such projects selected.

In addition to the formal mechanisms of cooperation which involve participation, the TIDE programme welcomes exchange of information and experience with interested sector actors from all countries.

EU RTD Programmes: Information and Assistance

The EU makes available comprehensive information on its RTD programmes through a range of publications, meetings etc. CORDIS is particularly important in this context. CORDIS is a centralised information service on all EU research and technological development activities. It consists of ten databases providing complete information on all aspects of community RTD. CORDIS in addition provides all of the services needed to help participants - or those interested in participating - in EU Research, go from project submission to market innovation.

The CORDIS service can be accessed via the European Commission Host Organisation i.e. ECHO using a direct telephone line, via the Internet and EuropaNet networks, via Minitel and via gateways from other systems. The CORDIS World Wide Web (WWW) Server can be accessed on the Internet using browser software and the command http://www.cordis.lu/. Each Programme of the Fourth Framework Programme has a home page. Documents such as Calls for Proposals, Work Programmes and Information Packages are available as both text and hypertext files and can be downloaded to a PC. The ten CORDIS core databases are also available on CD ROM.

The Future

The next five year programme, the Vth Framework Programme of the EU activities in the field of research and technological development and demonstration covering the period 1998-2002, is now under preparation and will be ready and possibly approved by the European Council and the European Parliament by the end of the year. Strategic groups of experts from different fields of research are helping the European Commission, taking into account the many contributions already received from Member States, industry, academia, research institutions, users and user organisations.

Of particular importance in the ageing and disability field is a discussion paper entitled Research and Development on Ageing and Disability in the European Union. An Holistic Approach addressing the Needs and Potential of Older People and People with Disabilities which has been put together by different European Commission departments in consultation with external experts and which is now undergoing a broader consultation. In this paper, an account is presented of the major challenges pertaining to the quality of life of older people and people with disabilities such as ageing of the population, changing social and economic realities, etc. The need for research and development, which can assist society in meeting increasing health and care cost and the possible areas and subjects for such resarch, are then presented in some detail.

We hope that the comprehensive approach outlined in the paper will be adopted and that an holistic programme of R & D into ageing and disability and/or a much more coordinated effort among the different R & D programmes of the EU, which have some implications for the lives of older people and people with disabilities will be implemented in the coming years. Any reader wishing to receive further information regarding TIDE activities is invited to take contact the TIDE Office at the following address :