For several years now, Linköping University and Region Östergötland have successfully worked together on development, innovation and research issues, one example of this being the Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), which conducts world-leading research at the intersection of medicine, biology and technology. Both are well advanced in terms of AI, and this is will be reinforced now that supercomputer Mimer – one of seven European AI factories – is being planned at Linköping University with a focus on life science, medicine and materials research.
“The future of healthcare depends heavily on the fact that the research carried out at LiU and Region Östergötland is connected, and that we use the innovative power that exists, not least among healthcare professionals. Together, we are already at the forefront of medtech, but we need to gear up quickly and have the ability and expertise to translate the enormous amount of data that is currently generated from medical and clinical research into innovations that will benefit patients,” says Vice-Chancellor Jan-Ingvar Jönsson at Linkoping University.
The aim of the collaboration between Linköping University and Region Östergötland is for healthcare and health data to be used and benefit patients in a better way, for the Region’s position in precision medicine and innovation in the region to be strengthened and for results and innovations to be disseminated in the healthcare sector. Developments in health care are moving rapidly, and new possibilities to analyse health data also increase possibilities to tailor diagnostics and treatment to each patient’s conditions, so-called precision health.
The collaboration will be carried out through two concrete initiatives. One is the “Centre for Information-driven Precision Health”, a joint competence centre that will strengthen research, development and innovation in information-driven development and AI in healthcare, and speed up the use of new technologies and working methods.
The other is an innovation arena, which is a further development of the joint venture East Sweden Medtech that has connected healthcare, academia and industry to develop working methods and processes in the healthcare sector, and which will be completed in mid-2025. This work will now be taken forward through investment in an innovation arena.
"Östergötland is very successful in terms of new technology that can improve care and treatment for people in the region. For us to be able to continue driving this development and provide our residents and patients with the best possible care in the future, Region Östergötland and Linköping University must work together. Through this collaboration agreement, we put structures in place that enable us to strengthen the future of care for our residents, says Marie Morell.”