German company joins partnership on technology for seniors

The University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Palmetto Health and Lutheran Homes of South Carolina have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Fraunhofer Institute for Software Engineering to conduct research that may result in technology that supports independent living for senior citizens.

The announcement was made Thursday (April 17) at a celebratory signing ceremony at the university's McKissick Museum.

The agreement is a giant step forward for the SeniorSMART™ Center of Economic Excellence (CoEE), which seeks to preserve the quality of life for older adults through technology and is a collaboration involving the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center and Palmetto Health.

Specifically, the MOU addresses research that will be conducted under the SmartHOME™ component of SeniorSMART that will develop and test technology designed to enable older adults to live at home longer. Applications may include software technology that is able to detect subtle changes in a person’s physical condition and collect pertinent data such as changes in weight, heart rate or a fall and then alert caregivers, familyor a home monitoring service of a potential problem.

Specific research projects are under discussion, and details are expected to be made public in six to twelve months.

University President Andrew Sorensen said an MOU with a global translational research institute that brings new inventions and services to market, a well-respected senior living community and the Midlands' leading hospital system is an important validation of the CoEE program, which is charged with using research to create economic opportunity in the state, and Health Sciences South Carolina, a major partner in SeniorSMART.

“The older adult population is the fastest growing in the United States and in South Carolina, and with the ‘coming of age’ of the baby-boomer population, this trend shows no signs of abating,” Sorensen said. "The timing of this agreement and its focus on novel technologies are not by chance. We are looking at practical research that will deliver significant return on investment in business and improve the lives of South Carolinians."

Signing the agreement on behalf of the Fraunhofer Institute for Software Engineering was its president, Dieter Rombach. He said that the institute sees great potential in the SeniorSMART Center of Economic Excellence, largely because of its unique collaboration of universities, healthcare systems and private entities such as the Lutheran Homes of South Carolina, along with the funding support of the State of South Carolina.

“Research is the fuel of the global economy,” Rombach said. "Without it, economies and societies at large would stagnate. It is an honor to be in South Carolina today at the beginning of a very important journey for our respective organizations and society at large."

Lutheran Homes of South Carolina has committed the use of a cottage on its Lowman Homes campus in White Rock as a laboratory where researchers can test newly developed SmartHOME technology to determine its efficacy and commercial viability.

Dr. Thomas Brown, president and CEO of Lutheran Homes of South Carolina said, “Lutheran Homes has five campuses across the state with older adult residents who wish to maintain active and independent lifestyles. Looking to the future, it is technology that will make this desire reality.”

Brown also noted that Lutheran Homes is preparing to build new facilities at two of its campuses in the next few years. Technology that enhances the livability and safety of the residences is more than welcome.

“We are open to new ideas," he said. "It is exciting to be a part of SeniorSMART.”

Dr. Harris Pastides, the university's vice president for research and health sciences, stressed the power of the partnership.

“Anytime you can attract a world leader in translational research like the Fraunhofer Institute, one that oversees an annual research budget of more than Ř.3 billion (Euros), you know you are doing something right,” he said. "With the SeniorSMART CoEE, USC, Palmetto Health and Lutheran Homes of South Carolina are definitely on the right track."

Other signers of the MOU include Dr. Jim Raymond, senior vice president, Quality, Medical Education and Research, Palmetto Heath, and Juergen Nehmer of the University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany.

The MOU is valid until April 17, 2009, and will renew automatically each year unless the entities request to withdraw from the agreement. The MOU is the university's second with the Fraunhofer Institute.

The Fraunhofer Institute invented and holds the patent on MP3 technology, a digital-audio encoding format that is the foundation of music downloading from the Internet and has transformed the music industry.

About the Fraunhofer Institute for Software Engineering
Based in Mźnchen, Germany, the Fraunhofer Institute for Software Engineering is one of 56 Fraunhofer Institutes. With 40 locations and more than 13,000 employees, the Institutes have an annual research budget in excess of Ř.3 billion (Euros). Roughly two-thirds of this amount is generated through contract research on behalf of industry and publicly funded research projects. For more information, visit www.fraunhofer.de

About Health Sciences South Carolina
Established in April 2004, Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC) is a statewide public-private collaborative of universities and health systems possessing the shared vision of using health sciences research to improve the health and economic wellbeing of South Carolina. HSSC includes Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina, Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center, Palmetto Health, and Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System. For more information about HSSC and SeniorSMART, visit www.healthsciencessc.org.

About the CoEE Program
The South Carolina Centers of Economic Excellence Program was established by the South Carolina General Assembly in 2002 with $200 million appropriated from the South Carolina Education Lottery Account to fund the program through 2010. The legislation authorizes the state’s three public research institutions—Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina—to use state funds to create Centers of Economic Excellence (CoEE) in research areas that will advance South Carolina’s economy. Each CoEE is awarded from $2 million to $5 million in state funds, which must be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis with non-state funds. The program also supports CoEE endowed chairs, world-renowned scientists who lead the CoEEs. By investing in talent and technology, the CoEE Program is designed to fuel the state’s knowledge economy, resulting in higher-paying jobs ad improved standard of living in South Carolina. For more information, visit www.sccoee.org.