Periodic Reporting for period 4 - Sano (Centre for New Methods in Computational Diagnostics and Personalised Therapy)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2023-08-01 do 2025-01-31
The objective of Sano is to establish, develop and operate a new Centre for computational medicine in Kraków, Poland. The principal aim is to carry out research at the forefront of medical science by leveraging modern artificial intelligence approaches, large-scale computing and data storage infrastructures in order to develop models which can be deployed in clinical practice. The Centre will also actively engage, as a knowledge provider, in commercialization of the outcomes of scientific research at every step of the process – from prototyping all the way to practical deployment. In order to meet these goals, Sano leverages the expertise contributed by its founding institutions, which specialize in various aspects of the medical R&D value chain, and aims to establish a strong presence in its target widening country – Poland – capitalizing upon the strong academic base and smart specialization of its home region – Małopolska, centred upon the city of Kraków. Efforts are also aimed at strengthening the international positioning of the Centre, by collaborative efforts with renowned institutions, excellent research, attracting top talent and fostering an inclusive environment for scientific advancement.
Sano has successfully transitioned into a fully operational research center, with established teams, defined roles, and a culture of collaboration that enhances decision-making and execution. Efficient resource allocation and lessons from earlier stages have optimized operations.
Recruitment has been completed, prioritizing professionalism, gender balance, and internationalization. A comprehensive training program supports staff development and fosters a culture of continuous learning. Research teams actively contribute to Sano’s agenda through software development, data management, and validation activities.
A robust infrastructure, maintained by Sano’s IT & Cybersecurity and Scientific Programmers teams, alongside Advanced Partners (Cyfronet, FZJ, USFD), supports scalable research. Sano has also built strong partnerships with academic, clinical, and industrial stakeholders, laying the groundwork for future R&D and broader recognition.
Efforts now focus on securing diverse funding sources for long-term sustainability. Outreach initiatives, including seminars, workshops, and online engagement, promote Sano’s work and expertise.
Having met its key objectives—significant research outputs, dissemination, and impact—Sano is now focused on maintaining its position while exploring growth and market expansion opportunities. Its structured approach, guided by the Business Development Plan, Impact Pathways, and Sustainability Strategy, ensures continued progress and future success.
Recruitment has been completed, prioritizing professionalism, gender balance, and internationalization. A comprehensive training program supports staff development and fosters a culture of continuous learning. Research teams actively contribute to Sano’s agenda through software development, data management, and validation activities.
A robust infrastructure, maintained by Sano’s IT & Cybersecurity and Scientific Programmers teams, alongside Advanced Partners (Cyfronet, FZJ, USFD), supports scalable research. Sano has also built strong partnerships with academic, clinical, and industrial stakeholders, laying the groundwork for future R&D and broader recognition.
Efforts now focus on securing diverse funding sources for long-term sustainability. Outreach initiatives, including seminars, workshops, and online engagement, promote Sano’s work and expertise.
Having met its key objectives—significant research outputs, dissemination, and impact—Sano is now focused on maintaining its position while exploring growth and market expansion opportunities. Its structured approach, guided by the Business Development Plan, Impact Pathways, and Sustainability Strategy, ensures continued progress and future success.
The ultimate objective which Sano aims to achieve is to become an established Centre of Excellence in the area of computational medicine, coordinating research and development efforts, firstly across the Małopolska region, and then across the country as well as internationally. The Centre has established five independent research teams, each led by a prominent researcher, and each focusing on a distinct research pillar of Sano:
· Health Informatics,
· Extreme-scale Data and Computing,
· Personal Health Data Science,
· Computer Vision Data Science (Computational Neuroscience),
· Structural and Functional Genomics.
Research Team Leaders undertook intensive activities informed by their Team Research Agendas, including development, deployment, validation and sharing of software artifacts between Teams, as well as management and processing of research datasets.
Locally – within Sano’s region and throughout the Member State – the expected socio-economic impact generated at the end of the project includes:
· Improved retention of talented researchers and best medical graduates in the local environment,
· Bringing Polish researchers who have enjoyed successes abroad back to Poland,
· Cascading creation of further employment opportunities due to recruitment and retention of numerous high-quality knowledge workers,
· Introduction and dissemination of internationally recognised science management standards within the local research culture,
· Helping local knowledge industry introduce novel products and services, attract investors, and achieve a snowball impact upon the local economy,
· Providing more possibilities for Polish clinics and med-tech industry representatives to participate in international collaboration,
· Enabling Polish clinics to benefit from the development of modern CM in terms of socio-economic aspects, such as early access to state-of-the art methods, potential benefits regarding efficiency (time savings) and efficacy (quality improvement) of health care,
· Providing real-life confirmation for local policymakers to justify further investment in computational medicine, thus creating a positive feedback loop of strategic, sustained growth,
· Building up critical mass by fostering synergies in science and helping Małopolska establish itself as a hub for computational medicine.
In the broader geographical scope of the EU, Sano will be positioned as a fundamental source of innovation, where patients, clinics and medical industry representatives collaborate to chart strategic directions of growth. By bringing valuable local partners, both public and SMEs, to international consortia, Sano will positively impact EU’s future research and innovation landscape, providing additional value.
In the global, long-term perspective, Sano will play a vital role in the Health 2050 transformation, where industrial technologies are developed to address societal challenges related to improved delivery of healthcare through pervasive digitisation techniques – including AI, big data, HPC and in silico simulations.
· Health Informatics,
· Extreme-scale Data and Computing,
· Personal Health Data Science,
· Computer Vision Data Science (Computational Neuroscience),
· Structural and Functional Genomics.
Research Team Leaders undertook intensive activities informed by their Team Research Agendas, including development, deployment, validation and sharing of software artifacts between Teams, as well as management and processing of research datasets.
Locally – within Sano’s region and throughout the Member State – the expected socio-economic impact generated at the end of the project includes:
· Improved retention of talented researchers and best medical graduates in the local environment,
· Bringing Polish researchers who have enjoyed successes abroad back to Poland,
· Cascading creation of further employment opportunities due to recruitment and retention of numerous high-quality knowledge workers,
· Introduction and dissemination of internationally recognised science management standards within the local research culture,
· Helping local knowledge industry introduce novel products and services, attract investors, and achieve a snowball impact upon the local economy,
· Providing more possibilities for Polish clinics and med-tech industry representatives to participate in international collaboration,
· Enabling Polish clinics to benefit from the development of modern CM in terms of socio-economic aspects, such as early access to state-of-the art methods, potential benefits regarding efficiency (time savings) and efficacy (quality improvement) of health care,
· Providing real-life confirmation for local policymakers to justify further investment in computational medicine, thus creating a positive feedback loop of strategic, sustained growth,
· Building up critical mass by fostering synergies in science and helping Małopolska establish itself as a hub for computational medicine.
In the broader geographical scope of the EU, Sano will be positioned as a fundamental source of innovation, where patients, clinics and medical industry representatives collaborate to chart strategic directions of growth. By bringing valuable local partners, both public and SMEs, to international consortia, Sano will positively impact EU’s future research and innovation landscape, providing additional value.
In the global, long-term perspective, Sano will play a vital role in the Health 2050 transformation, where industrial technologies are developed to address societal challenges related to improved delivery of healthcare through pervasive digitisation techniques – including AI, big data, HPC and in silico simulations.