Support4Resilience (S4R) is a four-year Horizon Europe research project launched in March 2024 with the goal of strengthening resilience and mental wellbeing in European elderly care. 
As Europe’s population ages and the number of people over 70 is expected to more than double by 2050, the need for resilient, well-functioning elderly care systems has never been greater. Research consistently shows that leadership plays a key role in shaping working conditions, supporting staff wellbeing, and enabling resilient performance in healthcare organizations. However, leaders often lack practical, evidence-based tools to understand workforce pressures and to respond effectively to them.

The core objective of S4R is to develop, implement, and evaluate a research-based digital Support4Resilience Toolbox designed to support leaders in elderly care. The Toolbox aims to improve working conditions, reduce stress and burnout, and enhance both individual and organizational resilience. It consists of three integrated components:

1. Mapping and identification, to help organizations understand mismatches between capacity and demands;
2. Reflection and education, to foster learning, awareness, and leadership development;
3. Reorganization, to support concrete changes in work processes and organizational structures.

S4R adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews and focus groups involving leaders, healthcare workers, and informal caregivers. The Toolbox will be implemented and evaluated in elderly care settings across six European countries—Italy, Finland, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, and Romania—and in Australia. The project includes process, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness evaluations to assess how the Toolbox works in different contexts and how it can be sustainably integrated into everyday practice.

The S4R consortium brings together 14 partners from nine countries, including universities, research institutes, professional organizations, and care providers. Coordinated by the University of Stavanger (Norway), the project is funded with approximately €6 million under the EU Horizon Europe programme.

A project funded by European Union, Horizon Europe

This project is funded by the European Union under the programme Horizon Europe in the call HORIZON-HLTH-2023-CARE.

CUP: J53C24000360006