FUNDACIO SALUT I ENVELLIMENT

Their core work

Fundació Salut i Envelliment (Health and Ageing Foundation) is a Barcelona-based research organization focused on healthy ageing, physical activity promotion, and wellbeing interventions for older adults. Their work spans from combating sedentary behaviour through exercise referral schemes (SITless) to developing empowering technologies that help older people maintain independence in daily life (NESTORE). More recently, they have expanded into nature-based social prescribing — using green spaces and community connection as health interventions (RECETAS). Their applied research sits at the intersection of public health, geriatrics, and social care innovation.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 work (2015-2017) centred on traditional clinical and behavioural health interventions — exercise referral, sedentary behaviour reduction, and assistive technologies for ageing populations. By their most recent project (RECETAS, 2021), the focus shifted decisively toward nature-based solutions, social prescribing, and community-level mental wellbeing — reflecting a broader European policy trend away from purely clinical approaches toward preventive, environment-based health strategies. This evolution shows a foundation moving from individual-level interventions to population-level, place-based health promotion.

They are moving toward community-based, non-clinical health interventions that use green spaces and social connection as tools for mental health and ageing well — a growing priority in EU health policy.

How they like to work

FSIE operates primarily as a participant or partner rather than a consortium leader, having coordinated only one of their four projects (SITless). With 64 unique consortium partners across 22 countries, they are well-networked for their size and comfortable working in large, multi-country research consortia. Their pattern suggests a specialist contributor that brings domain expertise in ageing and public health to consortia led by larger institutions.

Despite only four projects, FSIE has built a surprisingly broad network of 64 partners across 22 countries, indicating participation in large consortia with wide European reach. Their Barcelona base positions them well within Southern European health research networks.

What sets them apart

FSIE occupies a distinctive niche at the crossroads of ageing research, public health behaviour change, and nature-based wellbeing — a combination few organizations bridge. Their trajectory from clinical exercise interventions to social prescribing gives them credibility across both traditional health research and the newer green health agenda. For consortium builders, they offer a rare blend: a foundation with university-level research capacity, specific expertise in older adult populations, and growing experience in community-level interventions.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SITless
  Their only coordinated project and largest budget (EUR 789K), demonstrating leadership capacity in exercise referral and self-management for sedentary behaviour.
• RECETAS
  Their most recent and forward-looking project (running to 2026), placing them at the forefront of the EU's social prescribing and nature-based health movement.
• NESTORE
  Bridges their health expertise with assistive technology, showing capacity to contribute to digital health and age-tech projects.