title: The Italian reference sites of the European innovation partnership on active and healthy ageing: Progetto Mattone Internazionale as an enabling factor.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ageing population implies an increasing demand for health care services and resources, unsustainable according to current previsions. The European Commission is tackling this challenge throughout initiatives such as the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP-AHA), where all the efforts are aligned to the common goal of adding two active and healthy years to the life of European Union (EU) citizens.
  
  
  METHODS
  We presented the collaborative efforts of Italian Reference Site Collaborative Network 2012-2015.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Italian regions joined forces through the "Progetto Mattone Internazionale" of the Ministry of Health developing several national and international collaborations. Activities from all five Italian reference sites are presented with different good practices and scale-up approaches for improving health in ageing population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The simultaneous development of these activities allowed the strengthening of the coordination of Italian stakeholders in the European arena fostering collaboration and supporting the streamlining of the Italian regions still outside these projects.
authors.affiliation: UOD Promozione e potenziamento di programmi Health Innovation, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Maddalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Illario
authors.affiliation: UOD Promozione e potenziamento di programmi Health Innovation, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Luca
authors.affiliation: UOD Promozione e potenziamento di programmi Health Innovation, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tramontano
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca in Farmacoeconomia e Farmacoutilizzazione, Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Menditto
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Salerno, Italy.
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Iaccarino
authors.affiliation: Settore Affari Comunitari e Relazioni Internazionali, Regione Liguria, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bertorello
authors.affiliation: Ospedale Generale Galliera, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Palummeri
authors.affiliation: Regione Piemonte, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.affiliation: Regione Piemonte, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuliana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moda
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maggio
authors.affiliation: Agenzia Sanitaria e Sociale Regionale (ASSR), Regione Emilia-Romagna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Mirca
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barbolini
authors.affiliation: Progetto Mattone Internazionale, Ministero della Salute, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leonardini
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Epidemiologia del Servizio Sanitario Regionale, Regione Lazio, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Addis
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D005062:European Union; D006077:Government Agencies; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D011153:Population