Smart D8, Dublin’s first smart district dedicated to addressing community health and wellbeing needs and located in the heart of Dublin 8, has officially launched its fifth open call for pilot projects.
Since October 2020, the Smart D8 partnership has gathered expertise from across enterprise, healthcare, academia, local government and other areas of the public sector; collectively aiming to address health and wellbeing challenges identified by the Dublin 8 community.
It has established strong community connections through outreach with residents, businesses, schools, local organisations and networks. Engaging with service providers, innovators and entrepreneurs to trial and test new ideas, products and services, Smart D8 works to matchmake innovative solutions and smart technologies with community needs, and demonstrate their impacts on population health.
Operating through funded pilot calls and partnerships, the Smart D8 testbed provides access to local knowledge and expertise and facilitates the development of innovative approaches aimed at enhancing health and wellbeing within the local community. Through the combined effort of pilot calls, local workshop activities and engagement with existing community groups, Smart D8 has reached over 18,500 people living and working in the 45,000-strong population of Dublin 8.
Now entering its fifth year, this year’s call focuses on innovative pilot projects across three key themes:
- Connected Patient in the Community
- Positive and Healthy Ageing
- Community
Speaking on the opening of pilot applications, Smart D8 Ecosystem Manager Jack Lehane said:
“As Smart D8 enters its fifth year, we are immensely proud of the work that has been done to date but equally acknowledge that more is yet to come. Having reached over 40% of the close-knit Dublin 8 community in such a short period is a remarkable achievement. Given this high level of engagement, this year we have focused on themes that have yielded the most impacts to meaningfully contribute to the health of the local area.
It provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs and researchers to market-validate their innovations in a real-world environment, while also demonstrating their scalability and transferability to wider populations. We strongly encourage any organisations who have near-to-market products or services in these areas to apply, and we look forward to seeing more projects measure population-scale impacts and outcomes in the coming year.”
Giulia Camera, Enterprise and Learning Coordinator at Smart D8 added:
“At Smart D8, our mission is to enhance the health and wellbeing of the Dublin 8 community by fostering meaningful collaboration with local organisations and amplifying the efforts of those already committed to making a difference in people’s lives. Since our inception, we have built a strong network of community-centred programs, engaging residents, workers, and students to promote healthier lives.
“This year, we are expanding our impact by welcoming pilot proposals inspired by blue zones – regions known for exceptional longevity and wellbeing. By integrating their core principles, such as healthy lifestyles and illness prevention, we aim to bring innovative health solutions to Dublin 8, paving the way for a stronger, healthier, and ultimately happier community.”
The positive impact of Smart D8 has become evident through its collection of successful pilot projects that have been tested within the local community. The initiative has supported a total of 16 projects to date, including Kids Speech Labs, which filled gender and cultural data gaps for early-intervention speech and language screening; Menopause and the City, a menopause education initiative to empower women and their family and friends to manage menopause symptoms; and MoveAhead, which pioneered motion-analytics technology to improve children’s movement skills and enhanced the skills of more than 500 Dublin 8 schoolchildren.
Selected pilots will have the opportunity to trial and evaluate new and emerging technologies in a general population to measure their population health impacts – demonstrating their potential to positively impact people’s lives locally, nationally and internationally.
Smart D8 is led by The Digital Hub, Dublin City Council, St James’s Hospital and Smart Dublin. They are joined by Tyndall National Institute, St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, Trinity College Dublin, 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 Wednesday, April 2nd 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
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