University of Warsawis a member of the international PAAR-Net project. We are proud to be part of PAAR-Net: Participatory Approaches with Older Adults, an international research network supported by COST Action (CA22167) and coordinated by Jagiellonian University in Kraków.

PAAR-Net is dedicated to rethinking how older adults are involved in research, policymaking, and practice. The project promotes a vision of science that is inclusive, collaborative, and people-centered—science for the people, by the people.

By encouraging participatory approaches with older adults, PAAR-Net aims to make ageing societies more fair, inclusive, and sustainable. Involving older adults directly helps ensure that policies, research, and services reflect their real needs, experiences, and hopes. This leads to more effective outcomes and promotes social justice and equity for older adults across different cultures and countries.

The main goal of PAAR-Net is to close the gap between academic research and real-world policymaking by promoting co-produced knowledge with older adults. The network is led by dr hab. Anna Urbaniak from Jagiellonian University in Kraków (Action Chair) and dr Anna Wanka from the University of Vienna (Action Vice Chair).

Prof. Krzysztof Klincewicz, Director of Centre for Socially Responsible Innovations at Faculty of Management, University of Warsaw is one of co-funders involved in the consortium since 2021, member of the PAAR-Net management committee and the stakeholder co-ordinator of PAAR-Net, supporting stakeholder outreach and collaboration between researchers, non-governmental organizations and companies.

PAAR-Net network includes over 400 researchers from more than 40 countries, working together to:

* Host international events, including training schools and knowledge exchange meetings;

* Support short-term scientific visits;

* Award grants for independent research and conference participation;

* Produce scientific publications, policy briefs, and materials co-created with older adults.

PAAR-Net’s work is organized into four key focus areas:

1. Health, Care & Support;

2. Community & Place;

3. Technology & Innovation;

4.Synthesis & Quality Standards for Participatory Research.

The initiative also includes a Young Researchers and Innovators Forum and an Older Co-Creators Group, ensuring strong involvement from both emerging scholars and older adults themselves.

Researchers, practitioners, and professionals with relevant expertise are welcome to join PAAR-Net. If your work relates to participatory approaches and any of the project’s focus areas, we encourage you to get involved.

Prof. Krzysztof Klincewicz and Magdalena Zatorska – representatives of the Centre for Socially Responsible Innovations at Faculty of Management, University of Warsaw, actively participate in the work of PAAR-NET’s working group WG3, focused on technology and innovation. While participating in the PAAR-Net initiative, they leverage the experiences of research project EIT Food RIS Consumer Engagement Labs, which involves consumers (including older adults) in co-creation of new food products, and in years 2019-2025 was implemented in 19 European countries, working with 154 consumer panels and resulting in 35 innovative products co-designed by consumers and successfully introduced to the market so far.

For more details and to learn how to join PAAR-Net, visit the official project website: https://paar-net.eu/ 

For more details about EIT Food RIS Consumer Engagement Labs project, coordinated by Faculty of Management, University of Warsaw, visit the official project website: https://www.eitfood.eu/projects/ris-consumer-engagement-labs