From Idea to Impact: Governance and Policy for Enabling AgeTech Scale and Spread
Shannon Freeman, Courtney Genge, Heather McNeil, Simon Backer, Rich McAloney, Tracee Dunn, Donna Flood
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AbstractISSUE: Canada produces a wealth of AgeTech innovations, yet many fail to move beyond pilot stages or localized implementation. Scaling AgeTech solutions remains a persistent challenge. This “pilot trap” limits the impact of innovations for older adults and the health and care systems that could benefit from them. Efforts to scale are often fragmented across the ecosystem from research and co-creation with communities, to SME development supports, health and care system adoption processes, and policy/ procurement pathways, leaving promising solutions underutilized. This roundtable panel explores how governance, policy, and operational strategies can better align these elements to bridge the gap between promising innovation and system-level impact. CONTENT: This panel brings together leaders from across the AgeTech ecosystem to examine four key areas of implementation and address the overarching question: How do we move beyond best practices to real-world impact? Panelists will discuss how sustainable implementation is operationalize in real-world settings and share experiences in translating best practices, research, and innovation into scalable solutions. STRUCTURE: This roundtable will cover four key themes. First, the panel will operationalize Problems, Real Solutions: Co-Creation and Partnership Working. This discussion highlights the importance of meaningful collaboration between researchers, communities, and end users. Speakers will discuss the need for researchers to invest time, budget, and expertise into genuine partnerships with older adults, caregivers, and community organizations. Panelists will also address training the next generation of researchers, funding mechanisms that support community engagement, and institutional processes that enable meaningful collaboration. The Second theme is Supporting SMEs: Flexible Funding and Real-World Connections. This discussion will feature perspectives from National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program, this discussion examines how agile funding approaches, mentorship, and service linkages support small and medium enterprises in bringing AgeTech innovations from development to operational scale. Third, the panel will discuss: Health System Adoption: Scaling Technology with Impact. In this discussion, health system leaders will share lessons from implementing AgeTech solutions within real-world care environments. Speakers will discuss how adoption decisions are made within existing budgets, what types of evidence and data inform those decisions, and how successful pilots can transition into broader system implementation. The final theme is Policy and Procurement Pathways: Enabling Scale and Measurement. This discussion explores how provincial and federal governance structures can enable technology adoption at scale. Panelists will highlight procurement strategies, policy levers, and the importance of robust evaluation frameworks to track uptake, value, and long-term impact.CONCLUSION: Drawing on lessons from national innovation networks and implementation initiatives this panel will demonstrate how aligning innovation with governance, policy, and operational strategies can transform promising AgeTech solutions into sustainable system-wide impact.ISSUE: Canada produces a wealth of AgeTech innovations, yet many fail to move beyond pilot stages or localized implementation. Scaling AgeTech solutions remains a persistent challenge. This “pilot trap” limits the impact of innovations for older adults and the health and care systems that could benefit from them. Efforts to scale are often fragmented across the ecosystem from research and co-creation with communities, to SME development supports, health and care system adoption processes, and policy/ procurement pathways, leaving promising solutions underutilized. This roundtable panel explores how governance, policy, and operational strategies can better align these elements to bridge the gap between promising innovation and system-level impact. CONTENT: This panel brings together leaders from across the AgeTech ecosystem to examine four key areas of implementation and address the overarching question: How do we move beyond best practices to real-world impact? Panelists will discuss how sustainable implementation is operationalized in real-world settings and share experiences in translating best practices, research, and innovation into scalable solutions. STRUCTURE: This roundtable will cover four key themes. First, the panel will operationalize Problems, Real Solutions: Co-Creation and Partnership Working. This discussion highlights the importance of meaningful collaboration between researchers, communities, and end users. Speakers will discuss the need for researchers to invest time, budget, and expertise into genuine partnerships with older adults, caregivers, and community organizations. Panelists will also address training the next generation of researchers, funding mechanisms that support community engagement, and institutional processes that enable meaningful collaboration. The Second theme is Supporting SMEs: Flexible Funding and Real-World Connections. This discussion will feature perspectives from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program. This discussion examines how agile funding approaches, mentorship, and service linkages support small and medium enterprises in bringing AgeTech innovations from development to operational scale. Third, the panel will discuss: Health System Adoption: Scaling Technology with Impact. In this discussion, health system leaders will share lessons from implementing AgeTech solutions within real-world care environments. Speakers will discuss how adoption decisions are made within existing budgets, what types of evidence and data inform those decisions, and how successful pilots can transition into broader system implementation. The final theme is Policy and Procurement Pathways: Enabling Scale and Measurement. This discussion explores how provincial and federal governance structures can enable technology adoption at scale. Panelists will highlight procurement strategies, policy levers, and the importance of robust evaluation frameworks to track uptake, value, and long-term impact.CONCLUSION: Drawing on lessons from national innovation networks and implementation initiatives, this panel will demonstrate how aligning innovation with governance, policy, and operational strategies can transform promising AgeTech solutions into sustainable system-wide impact.Keywords: Implementation, Aging in Place, AgeTech
Shannon Freeman, Courtney Genge, Heather McNeil, Simon Backer, Rich McAloney, Tracee Dunn, Donna Flood (2026). From Idea to Impact: Governance and Policy for Enabling AgeTech Scale and Spread. Gerontechnology, 25(s),1-1
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2026.25.2.1720.3