Success Story – NICA (National Innovation Centre for Ageing)

Background

The National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA) at Newcastle University aims to support innovation in healthy ageing through its Voice platform, a global community that engages people, businesses, and researchers to co-design solutions for later life. Their mission is to amplify the voices of older adults. NICA sought to extend its reach into China, gathering insights from one of the largest older communities to inform research and services. To achieve this, NICA partnered with AppInChina to launch a tailored digital survey tool in China’s unique digital ecosystem. 

As a government-funded mission, NICA wanted to expand into China. However, the centre required specialist expertise to navigate China’s complex digital and regulatory landscape. After approaching the British Council, NICA was directed to AppInChina, recognising our expertise in helping international organisations succeed in China. NICA needed a partner to develop, deploy, and manage a solution that could engage older Chinese users effectively.

Challenges

AppInChina proactively contacted NICA to offer a solution for deploying a tailored digital platform in China that functions like Voice, . The project presented significant challenges:

• Regulatory Compliance: China’s regulations required a Foreign-Related Survey License (FRSL), exclusive to 100% Chinese entities, plus a Software Copyright Certificate (SCC), ICP (Internet Content Provider), and PSB (Public Security Bureau) filings for software, data operations and data exportation.
• Tailored Development: The platform needed an accessible, user-friendly front end for elderly users and a robust back end for survey data management, optimised for and fully compliant with China’s WeChat ecosystem.
• Data Security: All user data had to be hosted in China, with secure and compliant export capabilities to support NICA’s global research.
• Market Integration: The Mini-Program had to be published under a licensed entity, and establishing an official WeChat account was essential for visibility and engagement.

AppInChina assigned a dedicated team, including a Community Engagement Manager to liaise with Chinese partners and elderly participants and an administrator to oversee operations. 

Following a rigorous tendering process, we proposed a WeChat Mini-Program as the ideal solution, leveraging WeChat’s widespread use among Chinese audiences. We secured all necessary licenses, hosted the platform on AWS China, and developed a custom Mini-Program tailored to NICA’s needs. Aside from this, we also supported NICA by applying for the necessary copyright licenses to ensure the project was protected. We also help NICA set up their web domain to carry out the surveys. 

Solution

The WeChat Mini-Program launched successfully, enabling NICA’s tailored version of the Voice platform (集思社) to engage elderly communities in Beijing and collect important survey data. A significant number of users registered, and a valuable number of responses were collected.

“The support provided by AppInChina has been instrumental in helping NICA build a thriving citizen insights community in China. From developing an engaging WeChat Mini Program to guiding us through compliance requirements and copyright protections, their team has consistently delivered expert support; they even assigned a dedicated team to assist with our community-building efforts.”

— Sarah Nolan, Global Programme Manager at UK National Innovation Centre for Ageing

Key outcomes include:

• Full Compliance: AppInChina’s expertise in securing FRSL, B25, SCC, ICP, and PSB filings ensured full regulatory compliance, eliminating legal risks.
• Data Collection: Secure data hosting on AWS China and compliant export processes delivered high-quality data, advancing NICA’s global research on ageing.
• Enhanced Presence: The Official WeChat Account boosted NICA’s visibility in China, strengthening the Voice platform’s regional impact.

“At every stage, AppInChina has proven to be a trusted and invaluable partner.”

— Sarah Nolan, Global Programme Manager at UK National Innovation Centre for Ageing

Conclusion

Insights from China have become a cornerstone of NICA’s research on healthy ageing and their ongoing efforts to provide a voice to the older population of the world, with the WeChat Mini-Program serving as a scalable tool for ongoing community engagement. AppInChina’s continued support positions NICA for future growth in China. This collaboration underscores our ability to provide global organisations, even those working on a government-funded mission, the ability to thrive in China’s digital landscape.

If you’re considering launching a WeChat Mini-Program in China or simply want to know more, contact us for more information and a free consultation!