On the 4th of July 2024, the SONATA project took part in the launch of the WISEWORK-C – Workplace Innovation for Sustainable Well-being Cluster at the International Symposium on Occupational Safety and Hygiene in Porto, Portugal. This Cluster brings together five projects, including SONATA, all funded under the same Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme call, investigating and developing evidence-based interventions for the promotion of mental and physical health in changing work environments. WISEWORK-C aims to face the challenges of the twin transitions of digital and green, which has resulted in rapid changes to our workplaces, how we work, where we work, and how we manage and lead organisations. These changes can impact on our working conditions, income, health and occupational safety for both skilled and unskilled workers. Mental health and ergonomic-related problems affect a significant number of EU workers, and it is this challenge, in the context of the twin transition and post-pandemic workplaces, that the Cluster projects strive to address.
The WISEWORK-C projects are:
SONATA | Situation-aware OrchestratioN of AdapTive Architecture
WAge | Healthy Working environments for all Ages: An evidence-driven framework
EU-CoWork | Developing Compassionate Workplaces in Europe for the digital and green work environment to protect employees’ mental and physical health and wellbeing
PROSPERH | Promoting positive mental and physical health in changing work environments
INTERCAMBIO | Interventions to promote mental and physical health in changing working environments due to climate change, sustainable work practices, and in green jobs.
The launch event saw the Cluster participants meet for the first time, and through a dedicated workshop, “Introducing WISEWORK-C”, were offered the perfect opportunity for each to introduce and present their research aims. The workshop was also attended by representatives from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) and the European Commission’s Directorate General – Research and Innovation, who provided the policy context for the Cluster’s collective endeavours. The session ultimately succeeded in building a solid foundation of understanding and cooperation between these unique, yet related projects.
SONATA was represented at the launch by Prof. Andrew Vande Moere and Alex Nguyen from KU Leuven, Ilaria Pigliautile from the Università degli Studi di Perugia, and Rania Christoforou from Uniklinik RWTH Aachen. They will now bring back to the Consortium their understanding of how SONATA can work as part of WISEWORK-C and identify ways in which the Cluster projects can support one another to achieve not only our respective project objectives, but also our shared aims.
We at SONATA are excited to be a part of this forward-looking collaboration. More information on the WISEWORK-C Cluster and its projects can be found on the Cluster website. Follow #WISEWORKC on LinkedIn for all the latest WISEWORK-C news.