Tekes www.tekes.fi/en the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation and IBM www.ibm.com are partnering to enable Finland to utilize IBM’s Watson’s cognitive computing to help doctors improve the health of its citizens.
IBM’s Watson Health Center www.ibm.com/watsonhealth is being established in Finland, along with the first Nordic Healthcare Competence Center, and the first national Imaging Center of Excellence outside the U.S in Finland.
Finland has a unique health ecosystem characterized by full use of EHRs and nationwide access to healthcare. In addition there is close cooperation among public and private sector entities working in health and wellness.
Finland is also a European forerunner in designing new legislation to deal with the secure use of data on well-being and health. Tekes anticipates this collaboration with IBM will create data-driven cognitive computing applications and solutions and lead to an expansion and growth of Finland’s business and innovation ecosystem.
Tekes expects the partnership to accelerate the creation of new startup companies in Finland, gain new opportunities for Finland companies for global growth, and help to digitize the country’s healthcare business sector for companies or all sizes.
The Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS) is planning to work with Watson Health and employ cognitive computing to aid in the early identification of serious bacterial infections in prematurely born babies and to bolster imaging of cerebral hemorrhage patients. HUS is also evaluating Watson Health and is going to employ cognitive computing to aid physicians in helping patients with personalized cancer care
“Tekes estimates that investments by Finnish companies and Tekes to further develop artificial intelligence in well-being and healthcare will reach hundreds of millions euros over the next five years,” said Director Anssi Pulkkinen, Strategic Head of Well-Being and Health at Tekes.