*The Hon. Gabrielle Upton MP opening the NSSN Ageing Grand Challenge Forum.*

The NSW Smart Sensing Network (NSSN) Ageing Grand Challenge Forum took place on 18 February 2021 at Cicada Innovations in Sydney. The Forum featured an influential line-up of speakers from across academia, industry and government and marked the official launch of the NSSN Ageing Grand Challenge.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier, the Hon. Gabrielle Upton MP opened the Forum and said there is a great opportunity for the NSW Government to work closely with organisations like the NSSN, industry and universities to help solve the State’s challenges.

“Ageing is an issue that unites us all, and to do it with dignity, and with as good a health as possible, is the challenge governments, researchers and industry grapple on our behalf every day,” said Ms Upton.

Ms Upton has led the development of a bold new plan to accelerate research and development in NSW.

“The NSW Accelerating R&D Action Plan is all about unlocking more of what you are doing today, the power that collaboration and better translation of research brings,” said Ms Upton.

“The Action Plan makes the case that NSW can be the R&D leader in Australia and a world-class contributor if we have a coherent, integrated and sustainable approach.”

NSSN Co-Director Professor Benjamin Eggleton welcomed the Forum’s participants and said smart sensing has a key role to play in aged care innovation.

“As Australian society ages, we need to become smarter about technological solutions that will help us age better, healthier and happier, both in our homes and in care settings,” said Professor Eggleton.

“It is smart sensing that can provide technological solutions that lead to user-friendly, cost-effective, non-intrusive, and non-invasive interventions for better ageing.”

The Forum was delivered in two sessions. The morning session included keynote addresses on Ageing by CSIRO Deputy Research Director for e-Health, Dr Jill Freyne, and Telstra Health Head of Strategic Policy, Larissa Briedis.

The morning continued with panel discussions on topics covering smart sensing for ageing well at home and in aged care settings as well as wearable tech for ageing well.

The panels featured speakers from Johnson & Johnson, Telstra Health, Siemens Healthcare, Wellysis Corp/Samsung, MTAA, MTP Connect, NSW Ministry of Health, Ramsay Hospital Research Foundation, Tunstall Health, CSIRO, Cicada Innovations, The University of Sydney Charles Perkins Centre, and UNSW.

In the afternoon, delegates came together in a moderated “think tank” style activity to devise innovative smart sensing solutions to challenges introduced in the morning session.

The live-streamed event enabled a virtual audience to ask questions and contribute in real-time to the day’s discussions via a chat function.

NSSN Co-Director, Professor Justin Gooding, concluded the Forum and said funding is an integral part of the equation when developing collaborative R&D projects towards innovative solutions.

“The NSSN has seed funding on offer to get projects off the ground,” said Professor Gooding. “We call on industry and government to partner with us in funding worthwhile projects that make a real-world impact, benefit the end-user and reduce the cost of care.”

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