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We’ve been published! Care-led innovation at the heart of autonomy policies

Our article has been published! Care-led innovation at the heart of autonomy policies

We are pleased to announce that our paper “Care-led innovation: the case of eldercare in France and in Japan” has been published in the International Journal of Care and Caring (Policy Press). This publication is part of the INNOVCARE project, supported by the French government’s Priority Research Program (PPR) on Autonomy.

🔗 Read the article: DOI: 10.1332/23978821Y2025D000000112

The challenge: rethinking innovation based on the actual needs of older adults and those who support them


As life expectancy increases, issues linked to physical fragility and social vulnerability in old age are becoming more pressing. Technologies—such as robots, AI, and digital tools—are often promoted as solutions, but their real effectiveness remains questionable. The INNOVCARE project offers a radically different approach: making care—relationships, attentiveness, and support— the backbone of innovation.

Innovation led by care, not by technology


In contrast to the dominant tech-centered approach (inspired by the neo-Schumpeterian model), INNOVCARE draws on an interdisciplinary perspective that prioritizes social sciences and humanities. The goal is not to make people “accept” technologies in a questionable top-down approach, but rather to start technology’s analysis from the evolving, lived, and often invisible needs of older adults, their families, and care professionals.

This also means redefining autonomy—not as absolute individual independence, but as a relational capacity supported by networks of interdependence, both human and technological.

An enriching France–Japan comparison


The project is built on a unique comparison between two ageing societies—France and Japan—each with distinct cultural, political, and social approaches. While France tends to segment its public policies by age or level of dependency, Japan opts for a more integrated model. This comparison helps challenge what is often taken for granted in policymaking and opens up new ways of thinking and acting.

Some key findings and field studies


Early results from the project highlight:

  • Discrepancies between the imagined and actual uses of social robots, often employed not for emotional well-being but to encourage physical activity
  • The crucial role of care professionals in mediating technology (e.g., the use of tablets during COVID-19)
  • The need to rethink dependency and autonomy as intertwined, rather than opposing, realities

Towards truly inclusive and ethical innovation


INNOVCARE promotes the idea that innovation should not be reduced to ready-made technological “solutions.” Instead, it must be co-created with users in their everyday contexts, valuing their lived experience, emotions, social needs, and expectations.

An interdisciplinary team


This article is the result of collective work by:

  • Sébastien Lechevalier
  • Yuko Tamaki-Welply
  • Christophe Humbert
  • Katsunori Shimohara
  • Jean-Marie Robine

To learn more
📖 Full article available here:
https://doi.org/10.1332/23978821Y2025D000000112


OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Sébastien Lechevalier (May 6, 2025). We’ve been published! Care-led innovation at the heart of autonomy policies. INNOVCARE. Retrieved January 22, 2026 from https://doi.org/10.58079/13vgj


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