In recent years, real world data has become an important resource for health policy-makers, researchers and practitioners. Yet the profound disruptions that COVID-19 has caused to primary and secondary healthcare – and the mainstreaming of digital technologies and solutions to replace physical services – has increased its value and volume at an exponentially.

By extension, the unprecedented level of global R&D cooperation to fight the coronavirus is creating a vast pool of real world data, shared across borders, to which a wide spectrum of AI, high-performance computing and big data tools is already being applied. If used smartly, these data will support years of scientific endeavour, both within Europe and internationally, and may also provide critical fuel for the recovery of industrial value chains and innovation clusters.

That said, there is much work still to be done to prepare for the era of real world data. According to OECD analysis, only two countries have the necessary infrastructure in place to manage health data flows in real time. However, the pandemic may inspire a new willingness across Europe to “build back better” and create the enabling environment for healthcare in the 21^st century.
 
As such, a major opportunity lies ahead for the EU and member-states – if they can agree on how it can be seized, and who has the competence to make it happen. In this Science|Business webcast conference, we will explore the implications of real world, real time data for the anticipated European Health Data Space, a revitalised European Research Area, as well as other key digital policies such as the European approach to AI and data strategy.  

Event page and registration: https://sciencebusiness.net/events/real-world-data-transforming-future-european-health