CARITAS DIOCESANA DE COIMBRA

Their core work

Caritas Coimbra is a Portuguese social care organization based in Coimbra that provides health and welfare services to older adults. Within EU research, they serve as a real-world testing ground for assistive technologies — social robots, smart wearables, AI-powered care platforms — bringing the perspective of frontline care workers and end users into technology development. Their role bridges the gap between technology developers and the elderly populations who will actually use these innovations, contributing practical care expertise and running pilot deployments in their facilities.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Caritas Coimbra entered H2020 through social robotics for elderly care (GrowMeUp, 2015), focused on making robots usable in home settings — navigation, dialogue, domestication. From 2019 onward, their focus broadened significantly toward digital health ecosystems: AI, cloud computing, smart wearables, big data analytics, and value-based care models. The shift is clear — from testing individual assistive robots to participating in large-scale integrated care platforms that combine multiple technologies with standardised outcome measurement.

Moving toward data-driven, outcome-based care models that combine AI, wearables, and standardised health metrics — expect future involvement in digital health interoperability and personalised care at scale.

How they like to work

Caritas Coimbra operates exclusively as a participant, never as coordinator, which is typical for care-providing NGOs that contribute domain expertise and pilot sites rather than leading technical development. With 109 unique partners across 23 countries, they are well-connected and comfortable in large, diverse consortia. Their broad network suggests they are a sought-after partner for projects needing real care environments and genuine end-user access.

Extensive European network spanning 109 partners across 23 countries, reflecting their appeal as a care-sector pilot site. Their reach is pan-European rather than concentrated in any single region, indicating they are recognized across multiple national research ecosystems.

What sets them apart

Caritas Coimbra offers something most technology consortia struggle to find: a credible, established care organization that can deploy and test innovations with real elderly populations in real care settings. Unlike universities or tech companies simulating user environments, they operate actual care services and bring the trust and access needed for meaningful pilot deployments. Their progression from social robotics to comprehensive digital care platforms means they understand both the technology and the human factors that determine whether innovations actually get adopted.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PHArA-ON
  Largest project by funding (EUR 400,574), combining AI, wearables, cloud, and big data in large-scale ageing pilots with open calls for third-party innovators.
• VALUECARE
  Represents their strategic shift toward outcome-based and value-based care using ICHOM standards — moving beyond technology testing into care model transformation.
• LIFEBOTS Exchange
  MSCA-RISE staff exchange project on social robotics in care, indicating investment in building long-term research relationships and knowledge transfer capacity.