AP-HP and Inria strengthen their partnership

The Covid-19 epidemic revealed the major contribution of digital science and technology, including data science, in the field of health. AP-HP and Inria have actively collaborated, both for the adaptation of health care organisations and for the processing and structuring of health data, in the fight against SARS-CoV-2.  The two institutions have thus developed research projects for the diagnosis and management of Covid-19 as well as for the steering of hospital activity, using artificial intelligence tools among others.

The AP-HP Health Data Warehouse (EDS_APHP) offers a remarkable opportunity for such projects. It is the first EDS to have been set up within a French health establishment, authorised by the CNIL and with a governance in line with the recommendations issued by the CCNE in May 2019. The EDS_APHP currently integrates the health data of approximately 11 million patients admitted to the AP-HP.

AP-HP and Inria sign a framework agreement to set up a joint laboratory with the main objectives of :

• To set up collaborations for the development of methods, models or devices useful for diagnosis, treatment, data research, as well as for the management of hospital activity, the evaluation of innovations and their transfer to the economic world, to industrial partners or through the creation of startups ;
• Encourage the transfer of certain techniques resulting from research to exploration (biology, imaging, etc.) in the hospital environment or to the AP-HP information systems (massive data platform and its technical environment) ;
• Accelerate the dissemination of knowledge in an interdisciplinary framework and enable the rise in competence of clinical researchers at the AP-HP and Inria researchers dedicated to health.

This partnership is a sign of the already active collaboration between the two institutions and will result in an increase in exchanges and the availability of professionals from AP-HP and Inria, the creation of joint project teams, and the creation of AP-HP/Inria research chairs, two of which, as of this year, will be jointly held by AP-HP, Inria and Centrale Supélec. Finally, it will open up the possibility of responding to joint calls for tenders.