The training is part of a pilot project aimed at integrating the healthcare system into the Vincles project

On September 5th, Montferrer i Castellbò hosted a training session for primary care and Sant Hospital de La Seu d’Urgell healthcare staff who serve the population of this municipality. The goal was to incorporate these professionals and the healthcare system as a whole into Vincles, a project that focuses on detecting and preventing unwanted loneliness.

This initiative is a pilot program led by the iSocial Foundation and the Alt Urgell Care Consortium, supported by the Social and Healthcare Innovation Hub (HISS). It aims to integrate the healthcare system into Vincles, which has been rolled out since last year across six regions of Alt Pirineu and Aran under the leadership of regional Social Services. The goal is to ensure that, in the future, responses to unwanted loneliness among the elderly become a sphere of integrated social and healthcare services across these six regions.

So far, the Vincles Alt Pirineu-Aran project has been driven by the Social Services of the six regions within the Alt Pirineu and Aran territories. In collaboration with them, 53 social and demographic indicators have been established, allowing the identification of potential risks of unwanted loneliness in a geolocated manner through a data analysis tool. Once risk areas are identified, Vincles intervenes by activating the community network and fostering social engagement.

With the pilot launching this week in Montferrer i Castellbò, additional health-related indicators will be incorporated into Vincles, improving accuracy in detecting loneliness risks. Furthermore, healthcare professionals will become an integral part of the support network for individuals experiencing unwanted loneliness in this municipality, both during the detection phase, using the aforementioned health indicators, and during the intervention phase, by prescribing community activities and collaborating with the Social Services teams of Montferrer i Castellbò and the Alt Urgell region.

This pilot represents a significant step in the expansion of the Vincles project and its adaptation to address loneliness from an interdisciplinary perspective, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life for people in the Alt Pirineu-Aran territories.

The seven partner organizations of the European project gather in Andorra to coordinate Solidigital’s deployment plan

On September 5th and 6th, we held the second meeting of the Solidigital project in Andorra la Vella, with the participation of seven entities from Catalonia, France, and Andorra. The aim of the meeting was to coordinate the first phase of this European project’s deployment, driven within the framework of the European Union’s cross-border collaboration program, Interreg Poctefa.

Solidigital, which aims to facilitate access to social services for people in vulnerable situations, as well as the support work of professionals assisting them, is based on the use of three innovative digital tools: Soliguia, an interactive map of social resources providing detailed information on services available in each region; our app Nidus, a virtual safe box designed to support people in precarious situations; and Reconnect’s Coffre-fort numérique, a similar tool to Nidus operating in France.

During the meeting, we had the opportunity to learn more about these three tools, address integration issues, resolve doubts, generate debate, and, above all, get to know better the team we work with daily. Moreover, thanks to our hosts, Andorra Research and Innovation, we had the chance to meet Laura Mas de la Rosa, Director of the Department of Childhood, Adolescence, and Youth, and visit the facilities of the Andorran Red Cross to gain a deeper understanding of the country’s social ecosystem.

The meeting laid the groundwork for launching the project’s first phase, which will focus on mapping social resources in each region and will be carried out in collaboration with various local social entities and institutions.

The seven entities involved in the project will carry out this task in their respective regions. On the Catalan side, the project will involve the iSocial Foundation, project leader, Resilis, Alba, and Pere Claver, along with Solinum, which will coordinate the creation of Soliguia across all regions. In Andorra, the Foundation Andorra Research and Innovation will be responsible for implementing the project, while in France, Solinum and Reconnect will participate.

The project also includes the interconnection of these three tools and a training plan for 8,000 professionals, aiming to equip them with the necessary skills to use the tools, ensuring efficient implementation and quicker access to social services for the most vulnerable populations.

The iSocial board has approved the incorporation of REIR (Resources for Children at Risk), a social intervention organization that operates mainly in the Vallès Oriental region, as a new member of the Foundation.

On July 9, during the meeting of the iSocial Foundation board, the incorporation of REIR (Educational Resources for Children at Risk) as a member entity of the Foundation was approved. Established in 2007 by professionals from the field of social education and the third sector, REIR works with a multidisciplinary approach to improve the situation of groups at risk of social exclusion and vulnerability, with a primary focus on children.

Since its creation, REIR has carried out significant social intervention work, assisting over 2,500 people at risk of social exclusion across 29 different municipalities. Their projects, including residential centers for minors and integrated care spaces, reflect a strong commitment to equality and social welfare.

The organization has achieved significant regional presence in Vallès Oriental, Vallès Occidental, Osona, and Baix Llobregat, demonstrating its ability to adapt and grow in response to emerging social challenges. With its incorporation into the iSocial Foundation, REIR will bring valuable expertise in the field of child welfare, enriching our project and helping us define and promote new ways to foster innovation in the social sector.

Montse Cervera, President of iSocial since the foundation’s creation, steps down to make way for Josep Maria Solé.

At the last board meeting, held on July 9, the iSocial Foundation bid farewell to Montse Cervera, who had served as president since the foundation’s inception. Montse Cervera, along with Toni Codina, co-founded the iSocial Foundation from an embryonic idea that arose during a shared coffee in early 2018. Since then, the Foundation has grown and become a key player in the social innovation ecosystem in Catalonia, and Montse Cervera has been a vital figure, dedicating her time, energy, and knowledge.

Montse Cervera has had a long career in the field of social services, first as a technician at the Department of Social Rights of the Generalitat of Catalonia, and later in various leadership roles: Director General of the no longer existing Catalan Institute of Assistance and Social Services (ICASS) from 1999 to 2003, Head of the Social and Healthcare Unit at Antares Consulting (2007-2016), and Head of Innovation and New Projects at the Ampans Foundation (2015-2020), a member organization of iSocial which she represented on the board. During her presidency, she shared the knowledge she gained throughout her career to help foster iSocial’s growth. During this time, the iSocial Foundation achieved significant milestones and solidified its role as a leader in social sector innovation.

The position will now be held by Josep Maria Solé, President of the Support Girona Foundation and its representative on the iSocial board, where he previously served as Secretary.

The iSocial Foundation wishes Montse Cervera the best and thanks her for her work and commitment. We also warmly welcome Josep Maria Solé as the new president, who will undoubtedly continue and expand upon Montse Cervera’s legacy with the same passion and dedication.

A total of 55 entities from the Rehab-Lab network gathered in Liège to share their knowledge and experiences

Liège (Belgium) hosted the annual European meeting of the Rehab-Lab Network, focused on the design and 3D printing of personalized functional aids, on May 30 and 31.

About sixty participants from the 55 FabLabs within the network, spanning France, Belgium, Italy, Romania, and recently, Catalonia, attended. Representing Catalonia were Toni Codina, Director of the iSocial Foundation, and Felip Fenollosa, Research Director of the CIM Foundation at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC). They represented the Rehab-Lab.cat 2023-2025 project, funded by the Next Generation funds.

Over two days, participants shared their knowledge and experiences in designing and 3D printing customized plastic parts that help improve personal autonomy in daily activities for people with disabilities.

During the meeting, the Catalan representatives, attending for the first time, had the opportunity to present the Rehab-Lab.cat project to the other European participants. Since 2023, this project has been implementing and expanding this innovative service in Catalonia to benefit people with disabilities.

Currently, Catalonia has its first two FabLabs for personalized functional aids, opened by the Ampans Foundation in Manresa and at the Guttmann Institute in Badalona. In 2024 and 2025, the iSocial Foundation plans to launch at least six more in various locations across Catalonia, in collaboration with disability sector organizations and with the support of other project partners: Avinent, CIM-UPC, Ampans, and Guttmann.

Additionally, the participants approved that the next annual meeting in 2025 will be held in Barcelona.