Innovating in social care for older people: an update on the Sonya project

The SONYA project, led by Rennes School of Business within the framework of Horizon Europe (the European programme for research and innovation), continues its exploration of innovative solutions in social care for older people in rural areas. With a maximum European funding of 3 million euros, Rennes School of Business stands out as the first French business school to lead a consortium within this European programme. At the head of the consortium, the school is fully involved in supporting Social Economy organisations to improve social inclusion and innovation in social care for older people.

Project Progress

During the recent visit of the living lab* of the rural region of Trento, Italy, valuable data was collected through discussions with 20 local stakeholders engaged in the social care field. These exchanges highlighted the challenges and opportunities related to community and voluntary actions, which, although crucial, often remain invisible to formal care systems.

The discussions revealed several key issues, which are addressed in the full SONYA project article below. Among these issues, the impact of informal initiatives such as home services offered by hairdressers and informal support provided by local cafés was highlighted. Although these actions are fundamental in filling gaps in rural care, they face significant legal, financial, and logistical challenges.

Read the full article on SONYA project

Next Steps

The project is now focusing on mapping informal care networks and identifying the sustainability levers for these actions. The goal of SONYA is to create scalable frameworks and tools that will transform rural social care, enhance social inclusion, and support Social Economy organisations in establishing sustainable and inclusive services.

*What is a living lab? We implement living labs in rural Spain, Italy, and Bulgaria as user-centred innovation ecosystems where diverse actors—including older people, carers, social economy organisations, and researchers—co-create and test solutions for social care in real-life settings.

The study of the living lab social care content in Italy was launched by Silvia Scramuzza, Director of the social consortium CONSOLIDA, who facilitated the meaningful engagement with local actors Professor Rod McColl (Client Service Management) and Professor Marco Michelotti (Employment Relations), both from Rennes School of Business.

For more details on the SONYA project, please refer to our article on the SONYA project launch.