The event, chaired by Ana Ollo, Second Vice-President and Regional Minister for Memory and Coexistence, External Action and the Basque Language, brought together around one hundred professionals working in European projects.

The Second Vice-President and Regional Minister for Memory and Coexistence, External Action and the Basque Language, Ana Ollo, opened the 9th Meeting for European Project Managers and Promoters, which was attended by around one hundred professionals from across Navarra.
Representing Navarrabiomed-Miguel Servet Foundation were Daniel Villanueva and Mikel Rubio, International Project Managers; Beatriz Pérez, Head of Innovation; and Javier Gómez-Arrúe, Director of Navarrabiomed. Also attending were Elena Antoñanzas, Director of the Planning, Health Strategy and Research Service of the Navarra Department of Health; María Barrios, Head of the Research and Innovation Section within the same service; and Milagros Larráyoz, Director of Economic Management and General Services at Navarra University Hospital.

This year’s event focused on the Multiannual Financial Framework programmes available to Navarra through European Cohesion Policy. The meeting brought together representatives from the joint secretariats of several European programmes, including: Interreg POCTEFA (Pilar Maza), Interreg Atlantic (Ismael Morán), Interreg SUDOE (Juan Llanes), Interreg Europe (Jason Martínez), Interreg ESPON (Nicolas Rossignol), Interreg URBACT and the European Urban Initiative (Ana Díez). The event also featured Silvia Agrafojo, Head of the Social Knowledge Area at Zabala Innovation, who delivered a presentation on the integration of the gender dimension in European project proposals.

In addition to programme representatives, participants from Navarra´s organisations had the opportunity to share their practical experience in European projects. Among them Silvia Ojer, Director of the Navarra European Projects Office, presented the GRAAL project, funded through Interreg Atlantic. Mikel Rubio, from Navarrabiomed, presented PREDISC, funded under Interreg SUDOE. Pablo Lansac, from ANEL, described the JEUNESS project, funded by POCTEFA. Ekaitz García, from the Directorate-General for Energy and Digital Transition, Business R&D&I and Entrepreneurship, presented progress on the ZCI project under Interreg Europe. Ion Sola shared his experience participating in the ESPON IRIE European Territorial Cooperation Group.

PREDISC: an innovative model for disability prevention in older adults

Europe is moving towards an increasingly ageing society. Within this context, the SUDOE territory, particularly its rural areas, is experiencing some of the highest proportions of older adults alongside ongoing depopulation trends. Ageing is commonly associated with frailty and disability, which in turn are linked to increased healthcare resource utilization and hospital admissions.

The PreDisc project aims to prevent disability among older adults by promoting regular physical activity during and after periods of hospitalization. This is achieved through the prescription of a personalized exercise programme during hospitalization and its continuation after discharge, supported by Primary Care follow-up and facilitated through the development of an innovative eHealth tool.
The project also includes a multicentre clinical trial designed to generate scientific evidence and support the incorporation of these programmes into routine clinical practice.

In addition, PreDisc promotes a model of active ageing, particularly in rural areas, through the development of technological tools, training programmes for healthcare professionals, home visits and community events in rural settings.These actions are expected to help reduce unnecessary hospital admissions while improving access to healthcare services. The project's objective is to promote equitable access to healthcare by bringing services closer to rural communities and reducing the need for older adults to travel in order to receive care.