Best Agers

USING THE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE OF PROFESSIONALS IN THEIR PRIMES TO FOSTER BUSINESS AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IN THE BALTIC SEA REGION

With demographic change - recently defined as one of the four key challenges for European regions by the EC - and the current economic crisis looming, the cities and regions of the BSR have to find creative ways of disclosing and utilizing unused opportunities.

One of these hidden potentials are people in the prime of their lives – the so called “Best Agers” (defined in the project as people aged 55 and older).

As previous projects have shown, the population of the Baltic Sea Region will rapidly become older and the 55+ age groups will experience large growth rates in the near future. The result will be a pool of older professionals who are healthier than ever, well-educated and motivated and who can be mobilised to counteract the negative effects of demographic change –shrinking regional workforces and the socalled "brain drain". The project will survey successful approaches and goodpractice examples, develop them further and transfer them to the partner regions with low-key Best Ager involvement.

Together, the 19 partners (representing all sectors) will form across-generational innovation environment, where Best Agers work together with different age groups in the fields of business and skills development to generate new ideas and share their expertise and experience.

Building upon a transsectoral partner structure, capitalizing on the results of earlier projects and existing networks (such as senior expert services and business angels), the partners will analyse the present preconditions and structures regarding Best Agers’ involvement in regional labour markets as well as in innovation and entrepreneurship activities in the BSR.

The project will show how Best Agers can make their contribution in these fields by
* remaining in employment instead of retiring early
* committing their time and energy to voluntary work for the benefit of SME, young entrepreneurs, students and pupils or
* improving their skills and realising their own business ideas.

The project will survey successful approaches and good-practice examples, develop them further and transfer them to the partner regions with low-key Best Ager involvement.

In all four thematic work packages, partners will form small groups and jointly develop, implement and evaluate
13 innovative pilot initiatives. Reinforced by an ambitious communication and dissemination strategy (which features a documentary film, a webbased matching service portal and a "Best Agers Projects Fair", these pilot initiatives will help to raise awareness of the manifold capabilities and potentials of the members of the generation 55+ and change the widespread perception that older people are a burden to society.

Putting the Best Agers’ knowledge and experience to use will keep them in the centre of society even after retirement and turn them into a valuable resource for the economy and society throughout the BSR.

Partnership
Academy of Economics Schleswig-Holstein, DE (Lead Partner)
County of Pinneberg, DE
University of Rostock, Rostock Center for the Study of Demographic Change, DE
Research Association Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, DE
The Paritätische Welfare Organisation in Schleswig-Holstein, DE
Institute for European Initiatives, PL
Gdansk University of Technology, PL
Western Pomeranian Business School, PL
Šiauliai Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts, LT
Šiauliai Branch of the National Regional Development Agency, LT
KTU Regional Science Park, LT
CONNECT Latvia, LV
Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, LV
County Council of Norrbotten, SE
University of Gothenburg, SE
Green Network, DK
University College Lillebaelt, DK
Norwich Business School at the University of East Anglia,UK
Estonian Association of SMEs EVEA, EE