pREservIng fuNdamental rIghTs In the use of digitAl technoLogIes for e-health ServicEs

Project Information

REINITIALISE

Grant agreement ID: 952357

DOI

10.3030/952357

Project closed

EC signature date 26 June 2020

Start date 1 January 2021

End date 31 December 2023

Funded under

• Twinning of research institutions

Total cost

€ 898 712,50

EU contribution

€ 898 712,50

Coordinated by

UNIWERSYTET MARII CURIE-SKLODOWSKIEJ
Poland

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - REINITIALISE (pREservIng fuNdamental rIghTs In the use of digitAl technoLogIes for e-health ServicEs)

Reporting period: 2022-04-01 to 2023-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

REINITIALISE Project aims to strengthen scientific excellence and innovation capacity at Uni-Lublin in the design and use of digital ICTs (both digital media and personalized IT devices and apps), in a way able to integrate the potential of technology with the awareness of their ethical, legal and socio-economic dimension. The field of research of REINITIALISE is significant both in terms of scientific research and socioeconomic impact. The integration of technological with the ethical, legal and socio-economic dimension of digital tools urges since technology – and especially digital technology and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) – have a cross-cutting impact in many areas of our life, and especially in the domain of health. Technology opens up new possibilities but also risks and challenges that can be adequately faced only developing an interdisciplinary approach, where technology is designed in compliance with the preservation of fundamental rights. Moreover their integration is a driver of innovation and socio-economic growth, because it allows to take into account ethical and legal concerns by design, thus going beyond the prevailing standards, that being exclusively centered on the potential of technology, run the risk of violating ethical principles and fundamental rights (such as privacy rights, data ownership, etc.), with a potential negative impact both in terms of business costs and socio-economic consequences. Based on the findings from academic symposiums 3 crosscutting interdisciplinary topics were identified at the core of the transfer of knowledge: an inquiry and mapping of the ethical and legal principles that might steer the design of ehealth applications, an inquiry on how the communication on health on the digital media impacts on individuals’ freedom of choice and can generate self-deception mechanisms, an inquiry on the economic and social impact and consequences of the technological innovation in e-health that should orient AI and machine learning.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Following work has been conducted within the project:
- 4 academic symposiums organized M1-M9
- mobility programme of senior researchers: in months M10-M12 senior researchers from Uni-Lublin went to KUL and UNIMC, then the SRs from UNIMC and KU Leuven went to Uni-Lublin in hybrid form (M14-M17)
- accordingly to the mobility programme of senior researchers, joint scientific workshops were held
- research fellowships were granted to ESRs of Uni-Lublin for spending 2 months period at KULeuven or UNIMC, implemented in M16-22
- Joint Research Rooadmap was elaborated in M26
- 2 showcase events have been organised in this task in order to show successful cooperation experiences between academia and stakeholders and other positive initiatives in the sector of digital technologies for the e-health services: one in Leuven M17 organised by KU Leuven and one in Portonovo on M18 organised by UNIMC
- three Lunch & Learn events were organised by UMCS in M 21-22 with a view to defining directions and guidelines for the implementation of the next activities - the Winter School organised in M22-24 and the Venture Lab organised between M25 and 32 (task 2.3)
- UMCS strategic plan for socio-economic impact in the field of e-health was elaborated in M35 defining, in a 5-years framework, the future project and initiatives to be jointly conducted by UMCS and the local stakeholders interested in the research field of the project
- Knowledge Platform has been launched in M4
- 6 Interdisciplinary booster sessions has been organized by KUL
- series of workshops and webinars on EU project management and design aimed to increase the capacity of Uni-Lublin of attracting and managing EU grants as well as Summer Camp was organised in M33
- 2 intensive training courses were organized in order to provide Uni-Lublin researchers with the transversal competences
- Communication and Dissemination Plan was elaborated and updated 3 times
- The visual identity and communication tools were prepared in M2, promotional video was released in M23
- stakeholder list was elaborated in M6 and was constantly updated, 3 roadshows in Lublin in M9, M21, M33, series of articles were published in local media to promote REINITIALISE activities, nine face to face meetings were organized in Lublin/Lubelskie Region, project presentation was oganized at UNIMC in M21, KUL in M27
- SRs from UMCS participated to prestigious international scientific conferences to present project results; research papers in OA written in co-authorship with researchers from UMCS, KUL and UNIMC were submitted to prestigious international journals: 6 by SRs and 8 by ESRs; European Conference and Brokerage Event” took place in Lublin in M35
- for the proper project and data management the Quality Handbook was elaborated in M2 and Data Management Plan in M6
- 6 project meetings were organized, in M1, M9, M13, M18, M26, M30. Additionally, extra 8 Steering Committee Meetings were organized online.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Thanks to specific and multiple twinning and training actions taken in RP1: Academic Symposiums, long stays at KU Leuven and UNIMC, joint scientific workshops, Polish researchers increased their profiles. Polish SRs acquired knowledge on new methodological tools and approaches needed to boost their scientific productivity in the field covered by the project (also in terms of publications in co-authorship with international researchers). As the follow-up of the mobility programme, joint publications were prepared by researchers.

The project raised the research excellence and reputation of Uni-Lublin in the field of the design and use of digital technologies for e-health services, in a way able to integrate the potential of technology with the awareness of their ethical, legal and socio-economic dimension. Researchers engaged in REINITIALISE project already had a chance to cooperate beyond the consortium, by participation in Lub-Tech Digital Health conference in M9 (September 8th 2022). The event organized by Lublin Medicine Cluster has given the chance to engage REINITIALISE project team in discussion at regional level in terms of e-health and its socio-economic impact on society. The conference was addressed to a wide range of stakeholders active in the area of eHealth, such as representatives of public administration, universities and research institutes, healthcare entities, including public hospitals, innovation centres, accelerators, incubators, science and technology parks, networks of business angels, investment funds, clusters and enterprises (including start-ups) in the field of medicine and healthcare as well as ICT, organizations for people with special needs (including those acting on behalf of patients, seniors and people with disabilities), as well as a wide range of innovators and end users interested in innovation development in the field of eHealth. Link to the website of the conference: https://lubtech.lublin.eu/?lang=en.

As indicated in the Annex I, the project had actually created opportunities to develop further research collaborations with project partners, thus contributing to strengthen UMCS, KU Leuven and UNIMC internationalization strategies. Indeed, so far 2 EU proposals have been submitted and results of evaluation are expected within July 2022. One project proposal within MSCA actions was submitted under the supervision of UNIMC.

Press Conference in Lublin

Digital Health 2021, LubTech Conference, project presentation

Final Conference Agenda

Roadshow in Lublin

1st flow of mobility programme of senior researchers- Macerata M11

Press Conference in Lublin

EU Conference and the Brokerage Event (Final Conference of the Project)

Webinar on project management in M4

Promotional materials of REINITIALISE

1st Intensive Training Course- Lublin M9

Kick-Off Meeting held online in M1

Press conference in conjuction with the 2nd Project Meeting in Lublin in M9

EU Conference and Brokerega Event, Venture Lab part

Press conference in conjuction with the 2nd Project Meeting in Lublin in M9

EU Conference and the Brokerage Event (Final Conference of the Project)