Pilots

• ---

  Call for Service Providers - support the Pilots: collaborate, co-create and innovate

  We would like to invite you to join the APOLLO project. We actively seeking for Service Providers that augment the pilots with services, knowledge, and expertise. Register at our APOLLO Joint Service Database and list your service offering (or your service request (!)): start your Alpine-wide collaboration and co-creation as well as help to launch transnational inventions and innovation. Publish your service offerings and service requests on our Joint Database for social Service Providers - go to: https://apollo.labs.fhv.at/call-for-service-provider/

  
  

  
  Register for Apollo's newsletter - stay informed about the project progress and its implementation: http:/eepurl.com/i43rZ2

• ---

  Welfare Services in Remote Work & Digital Welfare Services

  The internet has transformed how organizations collaborate and cooperate with internal and external stakeholders. For example, the advancements have brought stakeholders closer together and, by the use of web-based applications, technologies, and services, opened smart and efficient forms of (inter-) organizational collaboration. In addition, innovative working models such as remote work, hybrid arrangements, and the rise of digital nomadism have been enabled. Remote work has become part of organizational culture across many industries. However, municipalities and public administrations often lag in adopting these changes and implementing them in their organizational culture.
  
  This project pilot aims to investigate the challenges municipalities and public administrations face in implementing remote working practices. The project addresses the research questions about “What are the key enablers for implementing remote work in municipalities from political, economic, social, and technological perspectives and how can remote work in municipalities be implemented?”. In addition, the project investigates “Which welfare services have the potential to foster the culture of remote working?”.
  
  Building on the findings of the AlpSatellites project, the research and innovation focuses on exploring community services at both the state level and federal level as well as the local level. It includes a comprehensive analysis of existing community services, stakeholder requirements, and welfare needs, supported by a PEST analysis to assess its potential for remote work. The project also seeks to identify existing models and best practices while considering innovative approaches that could help municipalities not only adapt to but benefit from the emergence of remote working.

• ---

  Digital Literacy: Training Programme

  The Municipality of Novo Mesto is taking meaningful steps to enhance digital literacy within its administration. By investing in the skills of its employees and the accessibility of digital services, the municipality aims to create a more responsive and inclusive public sector. The goal? To ensure that both staff and citizens are equipped to navigate the demands of an increasingly digital society. As part of this initiative, Novo Mesto is developing a next-generation digital platform to streamline the management of citizen-related processes. Alongside this, comprehensive training and support programmes will be introduced, ensuring that residents — regardless of age or digital skills — can confidently access and benefit from new digital services.
  
  This pilot project has a clear mission:
  ! Faster processing times for administrative procedures
  ! Stronger communication between citizens and the municipality
  ! Greater efficiency in public service delivery
  ! Reduced operational costs through smarter digital solutions
  
  By embracing digital tools and upskilling both employees and citizens, the municipality hopes to deliver a smoother, more accessible public service experience for all.
  
  The expected outcomes of the pilot on Digital Literacy are a fully integrated digital system for managing citizen interactions, tailored training for employees, addressing different life scenarios and demographic needs and a targeted awareness campaign to encourage citizens to adopt digital communication channels. This initiative has been carefully designed with inclusivity in mind. Special attention will be given to groups that often face barriers to digital adoption - especially older adults. Solutions will be transparent, context-aware, and user-friendly, ensuring that everyone feels confident and supported in the transition.
  
  By strengthening digital skills on both sides of the counter — employees and citizens — Novo mesto is building a more connected, efficient, and responsive local government.

• ---

  Digital Health Services: Telecare Night Shift Pilot in Rural Outpatient Care

  
  

  Rooted in the concrete needs of outpatient care, this pilot responds to one amongst the most urgent challenges of the sector: ensuring safe and sustainable night-time care in rural areas. The overarching goal is to improve safety, reduce stress, and enhance working conditions for care professionals during night shifts by integrating remote support technologies. Night duty is a persistent pressure point - particularly in rural regions, where long travel distances, staff shortages, and the complexity of assessing emergencies in the dark significantly burden care teams. By introducing structured telecare decision-making, the pilot aims to reduce unnecessary call-outs, support clinical clarity, and enable a more balanced and resilient care system - for patients and staff alike. In partnership with two rural care providers (see our call for participants), we will co-develop and test a traffic-light-based telecare decision tool. This tool should help determine when digital support is sufficient (green light), when further assessment is needed (yellow light), and when an in-person visit is essential (red light). It should support clinical decision-making, reduce unnecessary night travel, and strengthen psychological safety for nursing staff. The pilot is designed to be iterative - refinable along the way - and includes documentation for broader scaling and policy uptake. It should also explore future reimbursement models for telecare and provide participating providers with training, digital tools, and evaluation support. With this pilot, we take an important step toward relieving care personnel, improving working conditions, and building resilient digital care models for the future.

• ---

  Digital Animator: Action on Young Workers’ Wellbeing

  This pilot action will focus on digital welfare services in relation to young/early career workers. This category is too often underestimated when it comes to discussion related to wellbeing and welfare. Indeed, early career workers may face uncertainty, precariousness and difficulties during the transition phase between education and work. Pivotal periods of change, such the formal entry into adulthood, may be the cause of increased levels of stress, and anxiety – in a world constantly changing and day-by-day more competitive. For this reason, the pilot will implement digital and in person tools to explore the connection between work-related transitions and mental health. Activities will have a participatory approach and will concretely contribute to raise awareness on the wellbeing of this category, involving both young workers and/or late career students and relevant institutions (enterprise, universities). Finally, the aim is to promote inclusive, community-based wellbeing practices and to raise awareness among employers and policymakers on the specific needs of this often-overlooked group.
  
  In this pilot, we are looking for organizations, NGOs, associations, and third sector entities working on digital corporate welfare, young workers’ protagonism and wellbeing, and career coaching.
  
  As part of the European project APOLLO, LINKS Foundation will implement a pilot action focused on early-career workers – a group often overlooked in public debates on mental health and welfare. Young people at the beginning of their professional path frequently face uncertainty, precariousness, and stress linked to transitions from education to work, especially in an increasingly fast-paced and competitive world. These challenges impact not only individual wellbeing, but also long-term engagement in the workforce and civic life.
  
  The pilot will implement participatory methodology, to foster online and in person peer-to-peer exchanges, and co-design digital formats, aimed at exploring everyday experiences of stress and resilience, and at promoting inclusive, community-based approaches to mental health. We are seeking providers with experience in youth work, coaching, welfare innovation or participatory facilitation, and digital welfare services who can contribute to the design and delivery of the activities. The selected provider will support the LINKS team in tailoring tools, running sessions, and evaluating the outcomes. If your organization is committed to youth empowerment and interested in testing innovative ways to foster wellbeing at work, we would love to hear from you.