“France 2030”: 12 new IHUs created

“France 2030”: 12 new IHUs created

May 30, 2023 | Agenda, Economy, Event, Innovation, News, Research

IHU France welcomes this initiative by the French government to promote the unique model of excellence and acceleration of innovation in healthcare

On May 16, 2023, the French President announced the creation of 12 new University Hospital Institutes (IHUs) as part of the France Santé 2030 scheme. The Alliance IHU France, which brings together FOReSIGHT, IHU ICAN, IHU Strasbourg, Institut du Cerveau, Institut Imagine and Liryc, congratulates the newly appointed IHUs and welcomes this government initiative, which validates the strength of the IHU model by extending it to new medical and scientific themes. This reinforcement is part of a shared ambition for innovation and excellence in biomedical research in France.

IHU: accelerating innovation to invent the medicine of the future

Emblematic creations of the Programme d’Investissement d’Avenir (PIA), the IHUs have been given the mission of accelerating innovation in healthcare for the benefit of patients. The rejection of ivory towers, agility and the development of synergies have encouraged the emergence of excellent biomedical innovations and their transfer to the business world.

Created in 2011, the IHUs bring together research, care, development and training in a single location, and are now fully recognized as third-party experimentation centers. The IHUs have become major players in university hospital research, thanks to their scientific excellence, as demonstrated by their attractiveness for competitive research funding. They are also key partners for industrial companies involved in healthcare innovation.

In less than 10 years, the IHUs have achieved tangible results: over 320 patents filed, 18,000 scientific publications, 1,000 new clinical trials, 45 start-ups created, over 600 million euros in co-financing raised, and induced economic development in excess of 1 billion euros, while State investments represent 277 million euros*, i.e. a leverage effect of 5 to 7.

These new IHU and bioclusters will complement the fields of research already covered by the existing institutes: genetic, visual, cardiometabolic and nutritional diseases, central nervous system, cardiac rhythm, image-guided surgery and emerging infections.

IHU France is delighted to welcome the new IHUs:

  • VBHI, Bordeaux, cerebral vascular diseases, IHU
  • Prism, Villejuif, oncology, IHU
  • re-Connect, Paris, hearing disorders, IHU
  • Prometheus, Garches, sepsis, IHU
  • Thema-2, Paris, hematology, IHU
  • Cancers des femmes, Paris, gynecological cancers, IHU
  • Everest, Lyon, liver pathologies, IHU
  • RespirERA, Nice, respiratory pathologies, IHU
  • IMMUN4CURE, Montpellier, immunotherapies, IHU
  • InovAND, Paris, pediatric neurodevelopment, IHU
  • HealthAge, Toulouse, gerontology and aging, emerging IHU
  • Infiny, Nancy, inflammatory bowel diseases, emerging IHU

IHU France is also delighted with the accreditation of 4 new bioclusters, in particular the Brain & Mind biocluster, which brings together three of the Alliance’s IHUs (Institut du Cerveau, Institut de la Vision and Institut Imagine) and two new ones accredited today (InovAND and re-Connect), and the GenoTher biocluster, of which Institut Imagine is a partner.

With the IHU, the French government aims to make France the leading European nation for innovation in healthcare, and to achieve nationally independence in healthcare.

The success of this new call for IHU projects illustrates the effectiveness of the model, now firmly anchored in the medical innovation ecosystem. With these 12 new IHUs, France now has a new capacity to accelerate and innovate in healthcare in priority areas such as complex data mining, personalized care pathway modeling, diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive simulation using digital twins, and disruptive innovations such as gene and cell therapies for patients. The aim of this combined expertise is to multiply diagnostic capabilities, medical and surgical decision support, and treatments.

The challenge now is to make IHU France a tool for meeting international demands and remaining as responsive and competitive as possible, so as to make France the leading European nation for innovation and achieve sovereignty in healthcare.

The Innovation Santé 2030 plan launched by the government was conceived precisely with this ambition, making a commitment in June 2021 to a strong, value-creating industry to bring, with the impetus of the Secrétariat Général pour l’Investissement (SGPI) and the Agence Innovation en Santé (AIS), direct, concrete solutions to patients and the medical community.

About IHU France

Emblematic creations of the “Investissements d’Avenir” program, the IHUs have been given the mission of integrating and accelerating the action processes of hospital and university research, to disseminate biomedical innovations more rapidly to patients and the economic fabric. IHU France brings together the 6 IHUs: FOReSIGHT, ICM (Institut du Cerveau), IHU ICAN, IHU Strasbourg, Imagine (Institut des maladies génétiques) and Liryc (L’institut des maladies du rythme cardiaque), which combine their strengths, initiatives and proposals to accelerate medical innovation in France. The IHUs have demonstrated́ the power of a model of excellence bringing together in a single location all the expertise that enables medical research to be transformed into innovation for the benefit of patients.

* In 2018, the FOReSIGHT IHU was awarded €50 million in funding under the PIA 3 IHU call for projects. In 2019, the 5 other IHUs in the Alliance IHU France were awarded a further 63 million euros.

Event: AI and megadata, how will they revolutionize tomorrow’s medical research and practice?

Event: AI and megadata, how will they revolutionize tomorrow’s medical research and practice?

Feb 1, 2023 | Event, Innovation, News

The Conseil d’État’s study “Artificial Intelligence and Public Action” of August 2022, raised several questions around the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and megadata by public authorities. These issues are particularly important in the healthcare sector, where the most recent technological developments suggest new ways of using data and artificial intelligence, for the benefit of patients.

To address these issues, the Conseil d’État, the CNIL and Alliance IHU France are organizing a day of work and discussion on February 10, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., bringing together doctors, researchers, regulators, industrialists and entrepreneurs, and political decision-makers: AI and megadata, how will they revolutionize tomorrow’s research and medical practice?

The debates are accessible to all via the Conseil d’État website.

Creativity management and innovation in healthcare: the IHU Strasbourg model presented at CreaSXB

Creativity management and innovation in healthcare: the IHU Strasbourg model presented at CreaSXB

Nov 4, 2022 | Education, Event, Innovation, News

The IHU model presented at the 13th edition of the Autumn School on Creativity Management

From November 7 to 11 at key locations in Strasbourg and surroundings

Organized by the BETA (Bureau d’Économie Théorique et Appliquée) of the University of Strasbourg and MosaiC, Pôle créativité & innovation – HEC Montréal, the Autumn School in Creativity Management offers a rich and diversified week-long program.

Promoting the acquisition of new knowledge through new practices around creativity in our organizations and our territories, this week-long training event draws on the real-life skills of its participants: entrepreneurs, executives, decision-makers, managers, creators from various fields of activity, general management, marketing, innovation and R&D managers, young entrepreneurs and associates.

Jean-Luc Dimarcq, Director of Development of the IHU, will speak on the subject of the IHU’s ‘original models to boost innovation in health’ on Wednesday, November 9 at 2pm at the European Doctoral College, 46 Boulevard de la Victoire, Strasbourg.

Find all the information here: https://www.creasxb.fr/
Register here: https://www.creasxb.fr/inscription/

MICCAI2022: IHU HIGHLIGHTS

MICCAI2022: IHU HIGHLIGHTS

Oct 19, 2022 | Education, Event, News

MICCAI AE-CAI 2022 – Outstanding paper award to IHU authors

Congratulations to IHU’s APEUS team. The authors of the paper* entitled ‘Automatic pancreas anatomical part detection in endoscopic ultrasound videos’ won the OUTSTANDING PAPER AWARD, which was collected by Adrien Meyer, AI Research engineer at IHU, at the MICCAI AE-CAI 2022 workshop held in Singapore on 18 September.  ​​​​​​​

The joint 16th AE-CAI, 9th CARE and 5th OR 2.0 workshop brought together researchers, clinicians, and medical companies that are working on advancing the field of Medical Imaging and Augmented Reality, Augmented Environments for Computer Assisted Interventions (AE-CAI), Computer Assisted and Robotic Endoscopy (CARE) and Context-Aware Operating Theaters (OR 2.0).

*The paper was co-authored by Antoine Fleurentin, Jean-Paul Mazellier, Adrien Meyer, Julieta Montanelli, Lee Swanstrom, Benoit Gallix, Leonardo Sosa Valencia, and Nicolas Padoy. It was presented at the workshop by Adrien Meyer.

Second edition of CLINICCAI during MICCAI 2022 conference

The second edition of CLINICCAI (Clinical translation of Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention) was held in Singapore, after a successful first edition organized during MICCAI-2021 in Strasbourg. CLINICCAI-2022 took place at the Resorts World Convention Centre as part of the core program of the MICCAI 2022 conference, with an active participation of the IHU Strasbourg’s team as part of the Organizing Committee. The event was conceived to provide a platform for healthcare practitioners working on translational research in the areas of MICCAI to present their work and to enable and promote networking among biomedical scientists and clinicians.

A total of 20 oral presentations were selected among 31 submissions (from 13 countries) according to their relevance, novelty, and their potential for clinical translation. More than 60 healthcare professionals registered and traveled from 14 countries to present and participate on-site, with over 550 total attendees throughout the conference.

An international jury presided by Prof. Jason Chan (Chinese University of Hong Kong), and including experts from UK (Heike Grabsch), Switzerland (Inti Zlobec), and France (Juan Verde), selected the best three presentations and delivered the IHU best presentation award to: Jorge Corral Acero, Pieter De Baker, and Fiona Kolbinger. Congratulations to them!

We are anxiously awaiting the confirmation of the third edition of CLINICCAI, expected to take place next year in October, in Vancouver, Canada, during the 26th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention (MICCAI-2023) with the support of the IHU Strasbourg and its team!

L’IHU Strasbourg is awarded one of the 13 Experimental Authorizations from ARCEP for its 5G-Connected Operating Room Project

L’IHU Strasbourg is awarded one of the 13 Experimental Authorizations from ARCEP for its 5G-Connected Operating Room Project

Oct 18, 2022 | Event, Innovation, News, Valorization

As part of the Government’s 5G Mission entrusted to Philippe Herbet, the Electronic Communications, Postal and Print media distribution Regulatory Authority (Arcep) authorized on October 12 the experimentation in the 3.8 – 4.0 GHz band at the IHU Strasbourg in order to promote access to 5G for industrialists and “vertical” players (local authorities, universities, research laboratories, etc.).

The IHU has been granted one of the 13 experimental authorizations issued by Arcep, covering various sectors of the economy: industry, energy and health.

The thirteen experimental authorizations in the 3.8 - 4.0 GHz band as of October 12, 2022 (Source: Arcep)

The thirteen experimental authorizations in the 3.8 – 4.0 GHz band as of October 12, 2022 (Source: Arcep)

 

Strasbourg University-Hospital Institute (IHU)

A part of the Franco-German “5G-OR” project, the experiment aims to create the first demo of a new generation of operating room communicating within a private 5G network, for personalized and secure minimally invasive interventions, with the objective of improving patient benefit. The French team involves two institutes created by the Investissements d’Avenir program – the Strasbourg University Hospital Institute and the b<>com Technological Research Institute, as well as the innovative company RDS Diagnostics.

eCAP: Towards universal access to digestive disease diagnostics

eCAP: Towards universal access to digestive disease diagnostics

Jun 2, 2022 | Economy, Event, Medical first, News

On 4 May 2022, a hybrid kick-off meeting took place for the eCAP project: recipient of a €4.7 million grant from the European Union’s Research and Innovation Programme Horizon Europe. The aim of the project is to deliver a novel medical device combining a smart capsule with an e-health platform to enable better diagnostics, patient empowered disease management and hence, improved outcomes for patients with gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, a major source of population morbidity and care costs worldwide. The consortium, composed of 10 partners from research organisations and industry across Europe and Kenya, will demonstrate the universality of the eCAP solution in clinical trials in France as well as low resource environments by bringing the device to patients who so far have had limited access to GI disease diagnostics.

ehealth-cap.eu

GI diseases, which range from functional problems to cancers, are among the most common medical ailments across the globe. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) alone affects an estimated 1.2 billion people globally, with prevalence growing in all regions of the world. Many GI diseases are difficult to diagnose as the symptoms are often vague and variable. Moreover, currently available diagnostics requires highly skilled interpretation and high set-up cost, leading to a dramatic lack of access. For instance, GERD is subject to definitive diagnostic testing in less than 2% of cases.

eCAP enabled diagnostics of GI disease

eCAP enabled diagnostics of GI disease

The eCAP consortium will develop a smart multi-sensing capsule, implanted by minimally invasive techniques, that enables GI physiology monitoring for a controlled period of time. Using ubiquitous smartphone communication standards and cloud computing, real-time patient experience data will be collected through an interactive user-friendly application. Patient-empowered disease management will be supported by accurate interpretation of the data by physicians, aided by Artificial Intelligence. “More accurate, cost-effective, patient-friendly testing for acid reflux is an increasingly urgent need today that the current solutions out on the market do not meet. I think the exciting thing is that this particular group of partners is uniquely suited to getting together to solve the problem of GI diseases affecting people worldwide”, explains Lee Swanström, Project Coordinator from the IHU Strasbourg. “As we began discussions, we had great ideas for expanding the initial proof of concept, even beyond GERD testing, so the project has enormous potential. We certainly thank the European community for recognizing our vision and supporting this project.”

eCAP will run for four years and draw on world-class expertise. The project is led by the Institute of Image-Guided Surgery of Strasbourg (FR). Technical solutions will be developed by Tyndall National Institute (IE), Sentron Europe BV (NL), Integer (IE) and Enterasense (IE), based on the user design input from Imagination Factory (UK). Clinical studies in Kenya and Ukraine will be conducted by Operating Theatre Practitioners Association of Kenya (OTPAK, KE) and a gastroenterology and endoscopy clinic in Kyiv – Olymed (UA), which continues to be actively involved in the project, despite the devastating hurdles they are undergoing today. Health economic analysis will be undertaken by Betthera (CZ) and project management and dissemination activities by AMIRES, The Business Innovation Management Institute (CZ).

Project consortium:

eCAP_Consortium

Project duration: 1 May 2022 – 30 April 2026

Press contacts: 

– Lee Swanström (Project Coordinator) lee.swanstrom@localhost

– Kristin Saar (Project Manager) saar@amires.eu

European Union