SmartAL – a solution designed to support Ambient Assisted Living services, developed by Altice Labs, which allows to monitor, in real time, seniors and chronically ill, in recovery or post-hospital support situations – was one of the winners of the Santa Casa Challenge Extra COVID-19, the digital innovation contest special edition of the Casa do Impacto of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa for solutions to combat the isolation of the elderly. This project will share a 50 thousand euros prize  with the other winning solution, Ally Smart Check-ins.

For Altice Portugal, “it is very important to see our SmartAL solution, developed by Altice Labs, as one of the winners of the Santa Casa Challenge. This recognition symbolizes our investment in technological solutions that are increasingly inclusive and that respond to the effective needs of citizens, in the area of ​​health and social support”, says Nuno Nunes, Chief Sales Officer of the Business Segment at Altice Portugal.

“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for a quick response to the social consequences it causes, the Casa do Impacto of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa launched this extra edition of the annual digital innovation contest that rewards projects with social and environmental impact. In this edition we look for new ways to respond to social problems brought by the Pandemic, through new approaches. In this time of uncertainty, innovation does not arrive for tomorrow, it is necessary to respond to today’s problems.” – says Sérgio Cintra, Executive Director of Social Action at Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa.

The Santa Casa Challenge Extra COVID-19 was especially dedicated to projects that responded to the specific needs of the elderly in situations of prophylactic confinement or social isolation caused by COVID-19. In about a month, the contest brought together 74 candidate projects from all over the national territory and also international projects from Brazil, Italy, United Kingdom, Belgium and Germany.

Of these, ten were selected for the pitch session, which determined the winners. The short list included projects in areas as diverse as gamification, information management and staff platforms, SaaS, Artificial Intelligence and mobile applications related to the pharmaceutical area, inclusion to support the displacement of the elderly, support and monitoring, social robotization, digital telemonitoring and real-time monitoring of chronically ill seniors, among others.