SINTEF is an independent research foundation based in Trondheim and Oslo, Norway. SINTEF receives only minimal state funding (around 3%), earning the majority of its income from contract  research for industry and the public sector in Norway and internationally. SINTEF is the largest independent R&D organisation in the Nordic countries, employing around 1700 people. Contract research carried out by SINTEF covers all scientific and technical areas, and ranges from basic research through applied research to commercialisation of results into new products and business ideas, for both the domestic and international markets. SINTEF is represented in this consortium by SINTEF ICT, the department specialising in information and communication technology. The department has extensive experience over many years of participation in EU R&D projects, in both technical and co-ordination roles, in most areas of the IST Workprogram. SINTEF Health will support the project with respect to socio-economic studies. They have long experience from monitoring the health care sector in Norway from a socio-economic view.

Relevant skills/experience/technologies:
SINTEF ICT was one of the key players in definition of the GSM standard, and has been active in mobility-related research ever since. Recently, SINTEF was co-ordinator in AMBIESENSE, an FP5 project providing platforms for developing services for delivery of location and context-dependent content on mobile devices. Earlier SINTEF co-ordinated TelemediCare, an FP5 project providing a platform for management of chronic patients in their homes. SITNEF ICT is currently technical co-ordinator in the FP6 project MADAM and co-ordinator in the FP6 projects MIDAS and SIMS, three projects working with middleware and architecture in relation to different mobile applications areas. In the eTEN project LinkCare, SINTEF is responsible for the technical solutions that are evaluated.

SINTEF participates in and leads several national projects with focus on electronic representation and use of patient information. Important is the SamPro project, developing and testing a system for sharing information between patient and caregivers in relation to required individual plan for long term ill patients in Norway.

SINTEF Health will bring their expertise on socio-economic issues. They are among many national and international project, at the moment running the Norwegian national patient treatment registry and they are calculating and delivering suggestions for DRGs to the national government.

Role in the project:
SINTEF will be responsible for project co-ordination, both administrative and technical. To facilitate effective technical co-ordination, SINTEF’s main technical role will be focused on leading WP1 (M•POWER Architecture and Approach), as this workpackage forms the technical cornerstone of the project. SINTEF will also support the socio-economic studies in WP8.

Interest in project results:
SINTEF’s interest in project results is two-fold: (1) General improvement of our competence in the technical areas covered in the project, opening up more business opportunities for contract research in future; and (2) the opportunity to use project results to develop products and services for elderly and chronic patients. (SINTEF operates a professional venture department where the objective is to create start-up companies based on the results of projects of this kind ).