ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI RIPOSO E CURA PER ANZIANI INRCA

Their core work

INRCA is Italy's national institute for geriatric care and research, specializing in the health challenges of ageing populations. They develop and test eHealth and digital tools that help older adults manage chronic conditions, stay independent longer, and navigate the transition between hospital and home care. Their work spans clinical screening (e.g., chronic kidney disease in elderly patients), psychosocial support for young carers, and AI-driven virtual coaching for smart ageing — always with a focus on practical, patient-centered solutions that reduce healthcare costs.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the earlier period (2015-2018), INRCA focused on clinical screening, patient empowerment, and eHealth/mHealth tools to support the hospital-outpatient continuum — essentially helping elderly patients manage their own conditions and reducing the burden on healthcare systems. From 2018 onward, their focus shifted toward the social dimension of ageing: informal care, young carers' mental health, and policy frameworks. Their most recent project (e-VITA, 2021) signals a move into AI-driven personalized coaching and human-computer interaction, adding a strong digital and cross-cultural dimension through EU-Japan collaboration.

INRCA is moving from clinical eHealth tools toward AI-powered personalized coaching and policy-oriented informal care research, positioning themselves at the intersection of digital health and ageing society challenges.

How they like to work

INRCA predominantly joins consortia as a participant (4 of 6 projects), contributing domain expertise in geriatrics and ageing rather than leading large-scale coordination. They coordinated one major project (SCOPE) successfully, showing they can lead when the topic aligns tightly with their core mandate. With 87 unique partners across 18 countries, they are well-networked and comfortable in large, multi-country consortia — a reliable specialist partner rather than a frequent project initiator.

INRCA has built a broad European network of 87 partners across 18 countries, reflecting their participation in large health and training consortia. Their e-VITA project also extends their reach to Japan, giving them a rare intercontinental connection in the ageing research space.

What sets them apart

INRCA is one of very few European research institutes entirely dedicated to elderly care, giving them unmatched depth in geriatric clinical practice combined with digital health research. Unlike university labs that study ageing theoretically, INRCA operates care facilities and conducts research simultaneously, meaning they can test interventions on real patients in real settings. Their EU-Japan collaboration on virtual coaching also sets them apart as a bridge between European and Asian approaches to ageing societies.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SCOPE
  Their only coordinated project and largest single grant (EUR 635,750), focused on chronic kidney disease screening in elderly — demonstrates leadership capability in geriatric clinical research.
• e-VITA
  Most recent project with EU-Japan scope, combining AI virtual coaching, personalized services, and HCI — signals their strategic direction toward smart ageing technologies.
• ENTWINE
  Large training network (EUR 523K) on informal care with strong policy dimension — their second-largest grant, reflecting deep commitment to the social side of ageing.