The Social Welfare Policy Research Institute, Polibienestar, is a Public Research Institute belonging to the University of Valencia and directed by the director Jorge Garcés Ferrer. It specialises in research, innovation, technical advice and training in the field of public policy, with the aim of improving the welfare and quality of life of European society, especially of the most vulnerable populations. Polibienestar is defined by its interdisciplinary and socio-technical approach, integrating methodologies, tools, perspectives and theories from different knowledge disciplines to provide relevant advances in the understanding of social welfare and in the resolution of challenges related to European public policies. Polibienestar has benefited from the synergy of experts from different disciplines from 10 national and international universities. In this sense, the integration of all its knowledge is achieved through interdisciplinary work, aimed at responding to social challenges that require solutions at regional, national and international level.
Polibienestar is also defined by an inter-institutional perspective, collaborating with more than 100 international partners from public and private research organisations, user associations, research networks, public and private companies and foundations.
In addition, it has an extensive scientific background in the field of welfare policies, social reality analysis and decision-making. In this regard, its main focus is on decision-making processes to understand and respond to the complex needs and challenges of public policies associated with social welfare systems that are affected by new socio-economic and demographic patterns.
Polibienestar carries out a critical reflection on public policies associated with social welfare and specifically with social protection systems, highlighting their progress, achievements, risks, limitations and social impact but, above all, providing interdisciplinary tools that allow for the reformulation of those public policies that affect social and individual welfare in order to achieve sustainable social protection systems, considering citizen participation as a key element in the process of change.
In its long trajectory, Polibienestar has participated in and coordinated more than 100 regional, national and European projects funded, for example, by the Regional Programme of Research Groups of Excellence Prometeo; Spanish Ministries -such as the Ministry of Science and Education- under different plans and programmes (e.g. CENIT, Innfluye, Retos); and European programmes such as the VI and VII Framework; Horizon 2020; Erasmus+; Life Long Learning; COSME Small and Medium Enterprise Executive Agency; Ambient Assisted Living; III Daphne; Progress; ENPI CBCMED; Youth in Action; II and III Health Programme; or Competitiveness and Innovation Framework.
In the framework of the HORUS Project, Polibienestar has a fundamental role as project manager and coordinator, supervising and guaranteeing throughout the duration of the project the adequate communication between all the participating partners through regular online contacts and face-to-face meetings led by Polibienestar, the quality and relevance of the planned reports in the estimated time and the budget management. In addition, Polibienestar is the partner responsible for work package 2 «Identify and measure the association between urban environment characteristics and NCDs» and is therefore the main responsible for the supervision and monitoring of the specific tasks of this work package.
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Website: https://www.polibienestar.org/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/polibienestar/mycompany/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/polibienestar/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/polibienestar?lang=ca