Registrations Open for Smart D8 Showcase 2024

 

Registration is now open for Smart D8’s annual Showcase Event, scheduled for Tue 29th October 2024 at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Dublin 8.

The Smart D8 Showcase is an in-person event; to hear more about innovative Smart D8 pilot projects’ innovations in population health and wellbeing, ranging across themes including speech and language, community health, disability support, dementia and virtual care pathways.

The showcase will give attendees an opportunity to:

  • Observe the collaboration from across 12 different public-facing organisations as part of the Smart D8 consortium.
  • Experience the innovations happening through presentations from 2023 and 2024 Smart D8 pilot representatives.
  • Meet Smart D8’s networks and collaborators, and explore future collaboration opportunities.

The event will include keynote presentations from the Smart D8 partners and pilots, panel discussions and Q&A, and conclude with extended on-site networking.

Register via Eventbrite Here: eventbrite.com/e/smart-d8-showcase-2024-tickets-1030975664967

See some of our 2023 Showcase Event below!

Theatre Workshops for Dementia Among Five Pilot Projects Selected by Smart D8

  • Pilot projects selected to focus on speech and language, community health, disability support, dementia and medical administration.
  • Latest selection of Pilot Projects follows three years of success, having reached over 6,000 citizens in and around Dublin 8.
  • Smart D8 is led by The Digital Hub, St James’s Hospital, Dublin City Council and Smart Dublin.

(L—R) Eavanna Maloney (Dublin Simon Community); Jack Lehane (Smart D8); Dr Jenny Fortune (CP-Life Research Centre at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences); Giulia Camera (Smart D8); Dr Nicholas Johnson (Trinity College Dublin / Global Brain Health Institute); and Dr Shona D’Arcy (Kids Speech Labs). Smart D8 selection also includes Lyndsey Watson and Sonia Neary (Wellola). Photograph by Orla Murray (Coalesce, 2024).

A remote screening platform for children in need of speech therapy, a cloud-based system to streamline the medical management of homeless people and theatre workshops for people with dementia are among the five pilot projects selected by Smart D8 to transform health and wellbeing in Dublin 8. 

Smart D8, an urban health initiative using innovation to improve and sustain community health and wellbeing in Dublin 8, has announced a record number of successful applicants from its fourth pilot call. 

The fourth call follows three years of successful projects that have enhanced community health and wellbeing in Dublin 8, with 12 projects already bringing long-lasting and positive impacts to the local area over the past three years.  

To date, projects have reached over 6,000 citizens in and around the Dublin 8 district and originally stemmed from community-led research that identified unmet population health and wellness needs.

Continuing the success and growth of the initiative, the five pilot projects selected are:

  • Kids Speech Labs, which was founded by Dr Shona D’Arcy, addresses the critical issue of extensive waiting lists for children’s speech and language therapy in Dublin. Through a remote screening platform, speech and language therapists can identify areas of need in children’s speech and offer support and resources to parents while they wait for appointments.
  • Dublin Simon Community, will soon be opening a 100-bed medical facility at Usher’s Island in Dublin 8. The organisation aims to combat issues in paper-based hospital administration at the facility by implementing a digital medication management system through Digicare. Coordinated by Eavanna Maloney and Naomi Nicholson, the cloud-based application seeks to streamline management, reduce admin, enhance patient care and minimise health complications for a vulnerable population who often face barriers to accessing healthcare.
  • Led by Lyndsey Watson and Sonia Neary of Wellola, Portasana® aims to transform Population Health by offering a patient-facing digital care pathway solution, which empowers and educates patients, supports self-management and reduces face to face hospital appointments. The initiative fills critical gaps in mainstream healthcare practice by enhancing patient care. Wellola are collaborating with St James’s Hospital to provide digitised care pathways for chronic disease management to improve population health outcomes across Dublin city.
  • Initiated by Dr Jenny Fortune, CP-Life Research Centre at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences will develop an innovative web dashboard to serve as a directory of local services and supports for citizens with disabilities. The pilot will empower disabled individuals through crowd-sourcing and knowledge sharing, reducing barriers to access to essential services and improving overall health and wellbeing in the community.
  • The Brain Health pilot, led by Dr Nicholas Johnson and collaborators at Trinity College Dublin and the Global Brain Health Institute, will create an educational and awareness program using theatre workshops with Dublin 8 residents affected by dementia. The pilot aims to raise awareness of dementia and preventative activities, destigmatize the condition and empower citizens to take control of their cognitive health. In collaboration with OT Platform and extended partners, the pilot aims to position Dublin 8 as a pioneer in dementia prevention and serve as a model for brain health initiatives city-wide.

Jack Lehane, Smart D8 Ecosystem Manager, said:

Each year we receive excellent applications for our pilot calls and this year was no exception. With a record five successful projects, we are delighted to see the growth of Smart D8 take shape and we are confident that these pilots can address key issues affecting the Dublin 8 community and beyond. Cross-sectoral collaboration that enables healthcare innovation mixed with scalable potential is at the heart of Smart D8 and this year’s projects will greatly enable this. We look forward to working with the chosen projects and seeing positive impacts foster in the local community.”

Each Pilot Project will receive support of up to €12,500 in resourcing to advance their existing work. 

The Smart D8 consortium is led by The Digital Hub, St James’s Hospital, Dublin City Council and Smart Dublin, together with the Guinness Enterprise Centre, HSE Digital Transformation, Tyndall National Institute, St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, Trinity College Dublin Research & Innovation, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, National College of Art & Design, and Health Innovation Hub Ireland.

Owing to its success, previous initiatives include Menopause and the City, which launched in 2023 and aimed at enhancing the education of women and their family and friends about menopause so they can be empowered to manage their symptoms, Heart of Our City, which aimed at improving awareness and management of cardiovascular disease in the community, and MoveAhead, which pioneered motion-analytics technology built specifically for children to improve movement skills.

For more information on Smart D8, visit https://smartd8.ie

Smart D8 Opens New Call for Pilot Projects following Three Years of Success

  • New call for pilot projects in three areas: Community Health, Health Literacy and Environment
  • Up to six pilot projects will be selected from call, following success of 12 projects over three years
  • Smart D8 is led by The Digital Hub, St James’s Hospital, Dublin City Council and Smart Dublin

Smart D8, an urban health initiative using innovation to improve and sustain community health and wellbeing in Dublin 8, has opened a new call for pilot projects following three years of successful pilot projects.

Smart D8 is set to expand the number of pilot projects selected from this year’s call, with up to six successful pilots to receive support of up to €12,500 in resourcing.

Smart D8 is now seeking applications for pilot projects focused on Community Health, Health Literacy and the Environment to continue developing Dublin 8 as a demonstrator centred on enhancing the health and wellbeing of the 45,000 citizens in the community.

Over the last three years, Smart D8 has engaged with several public organisations and private companies. Through a series of pilot projects as well as ongoing partner collaboration, Dublin 8 has gradually transformed into a demonstrator focused on the health and wellbeing of citizens.

The 2024 pilot call is open to all Enterprise, Academic Institutions, and Public and Private sector organisations who offer innovative and scalable solutions that address unmet needs of the community and can be enabled by collaboration with Smart D8 partners.

Jack Lehane, Smart D8 Ecosystem Manager, said:

Following the success of our previous pilot projects, which have positively impacted over 6,000 citizens in Dublin 8 by enhancing awareness across various health issues including heart health and mental wellbeing, we are now inviting applicants in the areas of Community Health, Health Literacy and Environmental.  Smart D8 provides an excellent opportunity for businesses and researchers to meaningfully contribute to improving the health and wellbeing of citizens in Dublin 8 and beyond, and we strongly encourage any organisations who have developed innovative products or services in these three areas to apply.”

Giulia Camera, Smart D8 Enterprise and Learning Coordinator, added:

The community is central to the development and innovation at Smart D8. The latest call for pilot projects provides an excellent opportunity for developments to flourish in three critical areas of local health innovation, which will not only support the health and wellbeing of the local community but will also enable improved education on key areas of everyday wellness. By providing access to new projects and resources on health, we can progress the wellbeing of the Dublin 8 community, and beyond, one step further.”

The success of Smart D8 is evident through various pilot projects over recent years. These initiatives include Menopause and the City which aimed at educating women and their surrounding family and friends about menopause so they can be empowered to manage their symptoms, Heart of Our City which aimed at improving awareness and management of cardiovascular disease in the community, and Civic Dollars which enabled people to earn a digital currency through spending time in local parks and nature.

Smart D8 is led by The Digital Hub, Smart Dublin, Dublin City Council and St. James’s Hospital. They are joined by Tyndall National Institute, St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, Trinity Research & Innovation, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, National College of Art & Design, Guinness Enterprise Centre, Health Innovation Hub Ireland and the HSE in this unique collaborative initiative.

Applications will close on Friday, March 29th at 11pm. For more information on Smart D8 and to find out how to apply for the latest round of pilot projects, please visit https://smartd8.ie

View the criteria here: https://smartd8.ie/smart-d8-call-for-pilots-2024 and apply here: https://bit.ly/SmartD8_PilotApplication2024 by Friday, 29th March 2024 at 23:00

Smart D8 Call for Pilots 2024 : Call Now Open

[ This Call for Pilots is Now Closed ]

Following three years of success in engaging Enterprise, Academia and a range of relevant stakeholders, the Smart D8 initiative has delivered 12 impactful and scalable pilots. In 2024 this engagement will continue with a fourth open call for pilots.

Continuing to focus on the measured health and wellbeing needs of the 45,000 strong diverse Dublin 8 population, this call will focus on three themes namely:

  • Community Health,
  • Health Literacy, and
  • Environment

Smart D8 seeks to support the development of impactful and sustainable pilots with the potential to scale that involve enterprise, academic and other relevant public and private stakeholders. The pilot proposals should be ready to deploy with end-users and should be in a position to measure impacts within a six-month timeframe. Up to six pilots will be chosen for individual project resourcing of up to €12,500.

View the press release here: https://smartd8.ie/smart-d8-opens-new-call-for-pilot-projects-following-three-years-of-success. To apply, please submit your proposals here: https://bit.ly/SmartD8_PilotApplication2024 by Friday, 29th March 2024 at 23:00

Smart D8 Pilot Call Themes

Some examples of the types of pilots which would be relevant to the Dublin 8 population are given here for illustrative purposes. Smart D8 takes a very broad perspective on population health and wellbeing. Balancing preventative approaches with the support for patients in the community and including innovation in the delivery of healthcare, the pilot call is broad in the application areas.

Community Health

  • Innovative community development projects that foster collaboration and engagement and connect to Smart D8.
  • Initiatives to reduce social isolation and enhance mental health support networks and cohesion at the community level.
  • Sustainable practices for creating inclusive and accessible community spaces that promote physical and mental wellbeing.
  • Programs that empower local residents to take an active role in shaping health-conscious communities.
  • Projects aimed at improving cultural diversity and inclusion within the community for wellbeing.
  • Creative approaches to foster intergenerational connections within neighbourhoods.

Health Literacy

  • Curriculum development incorporating mental and physical health education at various educational levels (e.g. youth, older people, disaffected youth, carers, etc.)
  • Initiatives to promote healthy lifestyle choices and preventive health measures among both citizens and non-nationals
  • Programs fostering awareness of inclusive public health issues, such as infectious and/or chronic disease as they relate to population health.
  • Education on nutrition and the importance of a balanced diet for overall wellbeing.
  • Innovative approaches to teach citizens about the social determinants of health, health equity and the role of technology.
  • Inclusion of practical skills, such as first aid and CPR training, in the educational curriculum.

Environment

  • Community-based partnerships for sustainable agriculture and local food production to improve nutrition.
  • Conservation efforts to protect biodiversity, recognizing its impact on ecological balance and human health strategy and resilience.
  • Initiatives related to the monitoring and mitigating of environmental factors affecting public health (e.g. greening, air quality, etc.)
  • Initiatives that prioritise healthy working/living environments (e.g. sustainable urban planning and design for wellbeing, etc.)
  • Environmental mapping processes that can improve policies and practices for public health outcomes (e.g. Digital Twins, stress reduction, sports/leisure facilities, work/life balance, etc.)
  • Initiatives promoting eco-friendly options to reduce pollution and enhance respiratory health (e.g. transportation, active travel, etc.)

Who Should Apply?

The pilot call is open to all Enterprise, Academic Institutions, Public and Private sector organisations, who:

  • Offer innovative and scalable solutions (products, services, content or devices).
  • Provides new practices/solutions/perspectives that address an unmet need in the community.
  • Have a solution that is ready for end-user deployment within six months.
  • Can be enabled by a co creation and collaboration with the Smart D8 partners and beyond.

Why Apply?

  • Opportunity to pilot and demonstrate the impact and scalability of your offering in a real-world community setting.
  • Access to a unique collaborative ecosystem with established clinical, academic, public and private sector engagement.
  • Funding support available for selected pilots.
  • Programme management support.
  • Marketing and promotion support.
  • Access to free workspace in Dublin 8 during the pilot period.

Why Apply?

  • Applicants must submit a completed application form through the Smart D8 website here. Applicants can apply for more than one call. If your institution cannot access Google Forms via a Google account, you can access the Pilot Application Template, with submission instructions, here.
  • Call opens: Tuesday, 27th February 2024
  • Call closes: on Friday, 29th March 2024 at 23:00
  • Evaluation of proposals: Your submission will be reviewed by an expert panel drawn from the Smart D8 partners. A shortlist of applicants will be selected and will be asked to make a presentation to the evaluation panel. An update on the call outcome will be provided to all applicants at the end of the review process, in advance of Thursday 30th May 2024.
  • Projects to start: May 2024
  • Projects to present results/interim results: October 2024

Eligibility, Evaluation & Selection Criteria

Pilot applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Innovation
    A level of innovation in terms of technology/service will be required that address an unmet or underserved need. Innovation in the incremental or disruptive approach taken to advance the pilot with end-users will also be evaluated.
  • Scalability
    An evaluation will be made as to how scalable is your proposed solution after the pilot? Applications will be studied on the basis of the ambitions for scale and how they will be achieved, as well as integration with existing services.
  • Team & Resources
    The Smart D8 evaluation panel will consider what resources and people are being supplied to the pilot and what the ask is in terms of people and resources from Smart D8, including competence of team members for internal project delivery. Explicit communication of resource contribution (including budget) is also required, such as what resources are provided versus those requested of Smart D8.
  • User-Centric
    The evaluation team will look for proposals that are end-user focused. The measures of response to needs of community or service users for health and wellbeing impacts of the population of D8 will be scored.
  • Impact
    Smart D8 want to back projects which can produce and measure clear impacts on the health and wellbeing of citizens.
  • Alignment with the objectives of the Smart D8 project
    Smart D8 takes a very broad perspective on population health and wellbeing. Balancing preventative approaches with the support for patients in the community and in innovation in the delivery of healthcare, the pilot will be evaluated against these objectives as they relate to the Smart D8 programme and involvement of Smart D8 partner/s.

About Smart D8

Smart D8 is a collaborative initiative to investigate how new and innovative approaches can be used to improve citizens’ health and well-being in Dublin 8.

The Smart D8 District brings together local authorities, academia, healthcare, local community and industry in a partnership model to address real-world issues.

The Smart D8 consortium is led by The Digital Hub, St James’s Hospital, Dublin City Council and Smart Dublin, together with the Guinness Enterprise Centre, HSE Digital Transformation, Tyndall National Institute, St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, Trinity College Dublin Research & Innovation, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, National College of Art & Design, and Health Innovation Hub Ireland.

Smart D8 has engaged with the local Dublin 8 community to identify the major issues faced in terms of health and well-being and will develop an ecosystem of innovation and collaboration where solutions can be developed to address these issues. https://smartd8.ie