What is the project about?
SILVER SMEs is a five-year INTERREG Europe project started in June 2018 and will last until 2023. SILVER SMEs aims to support regional policies in rural and mountainous areas by enlightening the potential for small- and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop new innovative products and services of benefit and joy for a senior population and for growth and competitiveness of the regions. The project will focus on SMEs development opportunities to produce goods and products for the retired (from 62 years old), especially those living in peripheral and rural areas.
Discover SILVER SMEs in brief in our project brochure and video presentation!
Who are the partners ?
SILVER SMEs gathers 9 partners across Europe. The project leader is the Spanish Province of Teruel. Here is the completed list of SILVER SMEs partners:
- Provincial Government of Teruel (Spain)
- Region Dalarna – The Regional Development Council of Dalarna County (Sweden)
- Intermunicipal Community CIM Ave (Portugal)
- Cork Institute of Technology (Ireland)
- Soca Valley Development Centre (Slovenia)
- Society for the Development of the Province of Burgos (SODEBUR) (Spain)
- Eurasanté EEIG (France)
- Regional Development Agency JSC (Poland)
- Euromontana (France)
What are SILVER SMEs results?
In May 2021, SILVER SMEs published its results factsheet, presenting the main outcomes from the three first years of the project .
Best practices
For 3 years, SILVER SMEs’ partners exchanged regional experiences and inspiring initiatives that support both business creation and the quality of life of rural older adults. From housing to mobility, leisure activities, tourism and ICT, these examples can provide other rural and mountainous areas with inspiration to better cope with ageing. More than 70 good practices are available in SILVER SMEs’ database.
23 of these were deemed as best practices for their relevance to support SME creation in the sector of the Silver Economy in rural and mountainous areas. They are available in 3 thematic brochures on:
8 of our best practices are also briefly presented in videos!
Analysis of 8 regional contexts
At the beginning of the project, SILVER SMEs partners carried out regional SWOT analysis to understand the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in their regions. Based on interviews of SMEs, social partners, researchers, and policy makers, these 8 regional analyses helped to understand the opportunities but also barriers to the development of the Silver Economy in regions. A composite SWOT analysis also synthesizes the specificities of our 8 rural and mountainous areas.
You can also find more on regional contexts and on the specificities of ageing in rural Europe by checking out the 9 interactive infographics of SILVER SMEs!
Policy recommendations
In January 2021, the European Commission published its Green Paper on Ageing – an initiative aimed at triggering a debate on demographic change and ageing in European countries. SILVER SMEs’ partners contributed to the European Commission’s consultation on the EU Green Paper on Ageing. The contribution provides recommendations on how to support ageing regions and how to these territories can adapt to demographic change by developing and supporting the Silver Economy sector. Read SILVER SMEs’ position paper.
Thematic seminars
Since 2018, SILVER SMEs organised 4 thematic seminars related to the business opportunities arising from ageing:
- “Business opportunities linked to Active Ageing” on the 23rd of May 2019 in Tolmin, Slovenia. Access the report.
- “Business opportunities linked to fragile and vulnerable ageing population” on the 24th of October 2019 in Zielona Gora, Poland. Access the report and presentations.
- ”Business opportunities linked to dependent ageing” on the 5th and 6th of February 2020 in Cork, Ireland. Access the report and presentations.
- “Senior Tourism and Accessibility » on the 2nd of September 2020 online. Access the report, recording and presentations.
Online conference on the challenges and solutions to cope with ageing in rural Europe
SILVER SMEs also organised its online mid-term conference “Challenges and solutions to cope with ageing in rural Europe: the role of the Silver Economy” on 21st April 2021 to reflect on demographic change and explore solutions with European and regional policymakers.
You can relive the conference by reading the event report and watching the recording!
For more information
Visit SILVER SMEs website for more information
If you are interested to follow the project results and outcomes, you can subscribe to the project newsletter !
You can also follow SILVER SMEs on the social media
