About the project

We study the connections between well-being at work and innovativeness of work communities using extensive longitudinal datasets (questionnaire surveys) with the aim of deepening our understanding of the challenges and changes in the care sector related to the innovativeness of work communities, integration of immigrants and use of technology.

In addition, we will conduct a systematic literature review regarding the challenges and benefits faced by care workers in providing employment to immigrants and their impact on the well-being of both groups.

Person in charge:  Jaana Laitinen, Research Professor, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health

We organize a national innovation competition with the objective of identifying new solutions driven by employees and citizens from below and managers and policymakers from above.

We study how innovations in care are created as an interaction process and how social media communication supports the creation and visibility of innovation networks.

The work package is also responsible for the overall impact and societal communication of the project. 

Person in charge: Vilja Levonius, Project interaction manager, Researcher, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health

We bring artificial intelligence ethics to daily care work. In this work package, we explore how AI solutions can support care work in an ethically and socially sustainable way - not only from a technical but also a human perspective.

We develop tools and management models that support the responsible development and deployment of artificial intelligence in care work.

In addition, the work package focuses on the proactive evaluation of the impacts of artificial intelligence from the perspective of the relevance of the use of technology and the values and practices of care work. Our goal is to ensure that artificial intelligence supports the values of care and does not undermine them.

Person in charge: Jaana Leikas, Senior Researcher, VTT Oy

We study the transition from education to work life of care work students in the graduation phase.

The aim is to produce new knowledge about the challenges of transitioning to work life and integration using a longitudinal study and to identify new solutions and innovations that can support the adequacy and retention of care staff.

The nationwide cohort is monitored from the end of their education until the first years of employment, which is a critical period for staying in care work.

Person in charge: Anu Kaihlanen, Specialist Researcher, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare

We investigate the impact of digital and policy-driven top-down innovations on the leadership, productivity and ethical sustainability of care. In particular, we will focus on solutions that promote the standardization of work, productivity and care management, such as AI-based decision-making support systems and speech recognition technologies that make use of large datasets.

We analyze the position of innovations in daily care work as well as their scalability and the value creation potential in different contexts.

Person in charge: Sakari Taipale, Professor, University of Jyväskylä

Our goal is to develop employee and citizen driven innovations that make care work more attractive and support both formal and informal care.

We study how multicultural care communities can strengthen well-being, social cohesion and sustainable knowledge sharing.

We engage in joint development together with citizens, care workers and technology operators to create practical and resource-efficient solutions that reduce the burden on the care system. In addition, we compare best practices internationally and share lessons learned from similar solutions in other countries. This supports the dissemination and implementation of innovations. 

Person in charge: Arja Halkoaho, Principal Lecturer, Tampere University of Applied Sciences