The Care Innovation Center (PIZ) in Oldenburg and Bremen is an important component of this.
Care in Germany is facing enormous challenges: A rapidly increase in the number of people in need of care is being met with a significant shortage of skilled workers. At the same time, care measures are becoming increasingly complex. To address these problems, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is supporting the development and research of new care technologies.

As part of the "Future of Care" cluster, social and technical innovations in care have been brought together since 2017. Research, industry, and the care sector are working together with users to develop new products that will make everyday care in Germany easier and better. The first component of the care cluster, the Care Innovation Center (PIZ), which is the only one of its kind in Germany to date, began its work in June 2017. Engineers from the OFFIS computer science institute, an affiliated institute of the University of Oldenburg, are researching new technologies there together with nursing researchers and nursing economists from the University of Bremen: Professor Karin Wolf-Ostermann from the Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research and Professor Heinz Rothgang from the SOCIUM – Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy are involved. Ethical, social, and legal aspects also play a central role and are being analyzed by the University of Oldenburg.

Robotic Systems for the Physical Relief of Caregivers

Following the successful first phase, the research project is now entering its second round, in which the cluster is to be expanded into an "innovation and transfer hub." While the focus to this point has been on developing and testing new technologies, the aim now is to accelerate their transfer into widespread practice. This includes, for example, robotic systems to physically relieve care staff during physically demanding activities or technologies that support telecare, for example by using sensors to record the state of health.

University of Bremen's Extensive Expertise on Requirements in Nursing Practice

The University of Bremen brings extensive expertise in nursing research, nursing economics, and healthcare research with a special focus on digital nursing technologies. "Technological innovations can make everyday life in care easier, but they must be able to be meaningfully integrated into care practice and the work of care staff," says Professor Karin Wolf-Ostermann. Among other things, the Bremen researchers are analyzing the need for technological support in various outpatient and inpatient care situations and investigating how technological innovations such as smartwatches and other wearables can be integrated into everyday care. They are also looking at issues surrounding the evaluation of the use of technology. "With our experience, research focus, and networks, we can also play a mediating role between the needs and requirements of nursing practice, the interests of developers, and academia," states Professor Heinz Rothgang.
The "Future of Care" cluster will be supported with a total of approximately 20 million euros over the next five years. In addition to the PIZ, the project includes four so-called "Care Practice Centers" (PPZ) in Berlin, Freiburg, Hanover, and Nuremberg, which will play an important role in the implementation and evaluation of the technologies and products.

Further Information:

Https://www.interaktive-technologien.de/foerderung/cluster/cluster-zukunft-der-pflege (in German only)
Https://www.pflegeinnovationszentrum.de/ in German only)
Https://www.cluster-zukunft-der-pflege.de/ (in German only)
https://www.socium.uni-bremen.de/departments/health-long--term-care-and-pensions/en/

https://www.uni-bremen.de/en/institute-of-public-health-and-nursing-research/departments-working-groups/nursing-research/health-care-research

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Karin Wolf-Ostermann
Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research (IPP)
University of Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-68960
Email: wolf-ostermannprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de

Prof. Dr. Heinz Rothgang
SOCIUM – Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy
University of Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-58557
Email: rothgangprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de