Abstract:

This paper outlines the economic perspective for MAESTRO as both an Ambient Assisting Living (AAL) research and innovation project and as a viable quality assurance service platform.  It examines the process of building an effective and sustainable business model and business plan for MAESTRO to address the current and future economic context.  The MAESTRO project’s objective is to develop an on-line platform that can create and showcase ‘confidence, trust and reliability’ in the emerging marketplace for monitored and self-monitored devices, systems and services that promote health and wellbeing for older people.  With the pace and quantity of new products, services and technologies emerging within the AAL marketplace, it is difficult to source reliable and trustworthy product and service quality information that can underpin selection and procurement decision making. The MAESTRO platform is being developed to address this identified gap and market weakness, and it is being co-designed with solution providers, service commissioners and end users across the value chain, within a set of pilot projects in 4 European territories.