Helix

HeliX Project – European Health Data Ecosystem

HeliX (Health Ecosystem for Learning and Innovation Across Sovereign Data Space) is an international project funded under the Interregional Innovation Investments Instrument (I3) – Call I3-2024-INV2a. The project is co-financed by the European Innovation Council and the Executive Agency for SMEs (EISMEA) under the EU Single Market Programme.

The objective of HeliX is to develop an innovative platform for processing health data based on edge-cloud AI, federated learning, and privacy-preserving computing technologies. This enables data analysis without physically transferring the data. The solution supports secure data sharing and processing in the healthcare sector at the European level. The project aims to create a decentralised, trusted health data ecosystem that can be used for clinical research, personalised therapy development, and optimisation of healthcare services.

What is the role of the Healthcare Poland Foundation?

Healthcare Poland Foundation (HCPL) is one of the 14 project partners and the sole representative from Poland. It actively contributes to two key work packages:

WP2

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

HCPL is responsible for engaging local stakeholders (hospitals, local governments, universities, medical companies) and conducting communication activities in Poland. The Foundation co-organises events and information campaigns, develops promotional materials, and disseminates the project via media channels.

WP6

Real-world Testing and Demonstrators

The Foundation provides a local test environment for the pilot deployment of HeliX technologies, supporting trials in real clinical settings.

How does the HeliX Project align with the statutory objectives of the Healthcare Poland Foundation?

According to its statute, HCPL acts to:
Promote Polish healthcare and medicine internationally;
Support the quality of medical services and innovation in the healthcare sector;
Participate in R&D projects and the digitalisation of medicine;
Develop data-driven and AI-supported medicine.
HeliX fully supports these goals by involving HCPL in a cross-border initiative utilising cutting-edge digital technologies, AI, and data privacy protection in the healthcare context.

Strategic Assumptions and Innovations of HeliX

HeliX seeks to overcome the fragmentation of European health data systems by creating a federated collaboration model based on data sovereignty principles. Unlike centralised approaches, HeliX promotes an edge-to-cloud model where data remains at local sites, and only algorithms are transferred and trained using distributed methods.
The project also aims to:
Test solutions in over 10 use cases across various EU countries;
Establish interoperability standards and compliance with the European Health Data Space (EHDS);
Develop ethical and legal frameworks for cross-border health data processing;
Implement mechanisms ensuring transparency, control, and GDPR compliance.

Benefits for Poland and Europe

The involvement of the Healthcare Poland Foundation in the HeliX project marks a significant milestone in fulfilling its mission of supporting modern, innovative, and secure solutions for healthcare systems in Poland and Europe. It also contributes to building a robust, integrated health data market based on ethics, trust, and international collaboration. Acting as a local change leader, the Foundation unites clinical, academic, and technological environments around a shared vision of sustainable development in European healthcare.

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For Poland

Strengthened capabilities of national actors in health data processing;
Development of local partnerships (public and private) in medical innovation;
Enhanced position of Poland as an active participant in European R&D projects;
Increased public trust in digital healthcare innovations.

For Europe

Development of an interoperable health data ecosystem aligned with EU regulations;
Reinforcement of European digital sovereignty in healthcare;
Acceleration of clinical research and personalised treatment;
Greater involvement of SMEs and start-ups in modern healthcare services development.