And what if the care for an elderly person didn’t end when crossing the center door? That is, in a phrase, the bet of iCOIDAS, a Galician R&D project whose objectives were presented on the 12th of June at the facilities of Peniche Living.
The acronym refers to Research in Care in an extended center through Artificial Intelligence, Digitalization and Sensory, and well summarizes the approach: use mature technology —algorithms, connected devices, data platforms— so that care for older people and those dependent on it is no longer tied to a building.
Who’s behind it?
El proyecto lo desarrolla un consorcio de cuatro entidades con papeles claramente repartidos:
- Plexus Tech — Artificial intelligence, interoperability, and secure data management.
- Mar Technologies 5.0 — Customization of smart devices with advanced sensors.
- BiG Formación — Digital therapeutic content, training, and intervention methodologies.
- Peniche Gym — Validation in a real-world care setting through Peniche Living.
This combination is no accident: a major tech company teamed up with three specialized small and medium-sized enterprises, so that each area of expertise—data, hardware, and healthcare knowledge—is applied where it’s needed.
From a closed center to an extended center
The central idea of the project is to replace the closed-center model with what its proponents call an open or extended center. In practice, this means that care services are provided outside the facility and maintain connections with centers, homes, families, professionals, and public health and social service systems.
Peniche Living will serve as a living laboratory for this transition: solutions, protocols, and methodologies will be tested there with the participation of residents, professionals, and families. The stated goal is not only technical but also evaluative: to gather clinical, social, and economic evidence that the model improves quality of life, promotes independence, and makes better use of resources.
The Seven Areas of Focus
During the presentation, the roadmap was outlined in detail; it is structured around:
- Evaluate the open-center model compared to the conventional model.
- Build an interoperable social and health data platform.
- Apply AI algorithms to prevention and personalized treatment.
- Adapting wearable devices to the actual needs of older adults.
- Create personalized digital content and new intervention protocols.
- Promote the adoption of technology among professionals and users.
- Demonstrate, using data, the clinical, social, and economic impact of the model.
Funding and Context
iCOIDAS is funded through the Nexos 2025 program of the Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN) and receives support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the Galicia ERDF Program 2021–2027.
El telón de fondo es conocido y compartido con buena parte de Europa: una población que envejece a ritmo sostenido y unos sistemas de cesta publicacion en Linkedinuidados que necesitan volverse más preventivos y más próximos sin disparar el coste. La ambición del consorcio pasa por dejar un modelo replicable en otros territorios y reforzar la posición de Galicia en salud digital y Silver Economy.
For more information, see this LinkedIn post