Across Europe, the demographic shift towards an ageing population is accelerating, placing increasing pressure on case systems, labour markets and public budgets. Since 2008, the AAL Programme has invested in over 260 collaborative projects developing ICT-based solutions that support active and healthy ageing, while also strengthening Europe’s industrial base in this field.

The challenge

Alongside project funding, the programme has created a range od Support Actions to help innovators move from prototype to market and to reinforce the broader AAL ecosystem. To ensure accountability, strategic learning and visibility towards stakeholders, the AAL Association conducts an annual impact assessment. IDEA was awarded for their 3^rd edition, which needed to go beyond previous rounds: refining the programme’s intervention logic, capturing the added value of Support Actions, and providing robust evidence on project outcomes, market uptake, end-user benefits and contributions to sustainable care systems. With the programme’s potential continuation or reformatting under Horizon Europe, the AAL Association required a high-quality, credible and communicative assessment that consolidates insights, tracks progress and identifies areas for future improvement.

Approach & results

IDEA Consult delivered to the AAL Foundation a comprehensive impact assessment combining methodological continuity with targeted refinements. The work builds on three pillars—desk research, a tailored survey and KPI analysis of Support Actions, all structured around the AAL Programme’s three impact dimensions: quality of life, efficiency of care systems, and industrial competitiveness. Our approach includes:

• Refining the intervention logic and survey design. Building on lessons from earlier editions, IDEA updated the impact framework and adjusted the questionnaire to capture market-related impacts, ecosystem effects, organisational outcomes and user-centric results. The survey targets participants of completed collaborative projects, with efforts to maximise response rates through branded invitations, reminders, and (where appropriate) telephone follow-up
• Comprehensive data collection and KPI updates. Desk research maps project portfolios, outcomes and target groups, while KPI analysis quantifies the performance and added value of Support Actions such as AAL2Business, the Market Observatory and the AAL Forum. The methodology builds on established indicators while proposing refinements aligned with recent programme developments.
• Integrated qualitative and quantitative analysis. IDEA combines survey data, KPI results and portfolio information to assess contributions to the programme’s objectives, identify evolution since previous editions, and showcase concrete examples of products, services and components developed within the AAL community. Structured text analysis and word-cloud techniques support the interpretation of open responses.
• Clear, communicative reporting. The study delivers three outputs: a detailed analysis of collaborative projects, a dedicated report on Support Actions, and a final synthesis highlighting key findings, lessons learned and recommendations. This includes infographics, indicators and visual summaries designed to communicate results effectively to both internal and external stakeholders. A concise executive summary and a 2-page leaflet support broad dissemination.

The outcomes of this assessment helped the AAL Association and its community understand the impact achieved, make evidence-based decisions on the programme’s future direction, and strengthen alignment with emerging priorities under Horizon Europe.