4 June 2024 – Last week, the delegation from the Croatian AI4Health.Cro project embarked on a significant visit to Finland. This initiative aimed to forge connections with leading institutions in healthcare and technology and exchange knowledge and experiences in applying artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine.
FIMM – Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland
The delegation’s journey began at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) in Helsinki. FIMM, part of the Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE) at the University of Helsinki, focuses on human genomics and precision medicine. Professor Johan Lundin, FIMM’s Research Director, showcased the institute’s latest achievements in AI applications in medical image analysis.
HUS – Helsinki University Hospital
On the second day, the delegation visited Helsinki University Hospital (HUS), Finland’s largest hospital. The team was keen to understand the creation, collection, and reuse of data for research and innovation. Hosted by Pekka Kahri, HUS’s Technology Officer, they were impressed by the hospital’s scale, including its 27,000 employees, €2.8 billion annual budget, 3,000 beds, 715,000 annual treatments, 500-strong IT team with a €250 million budget, and 50 data analysis specialists.
Findata
Thursday saw a visit to Findata, an institution dedicated to health and social data. Hosted by Maari Parkkinen, Findata’s Development Manager, the team learned how Findata supports informed healthcare decisions through precise data and analytics.
Radical Health Festival Helsinki
The delegation also attended the Radical Health Festival Helsinki, a conference exploring how technology can enhance healthcare prevention and precision medicine. The program covered people, innovations, and data, addressing healthcare system challenges, the need for people-centric digital transformation, and converting data into insights for better healthcare equity and prevention.
Beyond formal engagements, the delegation enjoyed informal networking, city walks, cycling, and experiencing Finnish nature and cuisine.
The Croatian delegation included Anja Berešić from the Ruđer Bošković Institute, who is the project coordinator; Denis Jager and Kristina Martinović from IN2; Moris Bagić and Pero Ivanko from the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ); Ana Jerončić from the Medical Faculty Split; Mario Ravić and Zrinka Potočanac from Ericsson Nikola Tesla; Frane Šesnić from the Zagreb Innovation Centre (ZICER); Hrvoje Belani from the Ministry of Health; and Sanja Gusić from the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO).
This visit enabled the Croatian delegation to gain valuable insights and establish new collaborations that will contribute to the further development of AI solutions in the Croatian healthcare system. AI4Health.Cro will continue to develop innovative AI-based tools to improve healthcare quality, working with industry partners, healthcare institutions, and researchers.
EDIH AI4Health.Cro aims to introduce innovations based on advanced AI and high-performance computing technologies into public and private healthcare in Croatia. By strengthening the ecosystem for comprehensive testing of innovative AI technologies, the project seeks to position Croatia among the leaders in AI-driven healthcare transformation within the European Union.