Building a common ground to work on health data in a trusted and secure manner.
The Health.AI Data Space will create the foundations for using health data safely, responsibly, and in compliance with the GDPR across all research projects within the Health.AI alliance. It will support both ongoing and future research and help establish a shared culture for handling data. This common approach is an important first step towards creating a shared data space in which health data can be used effectively for research while protecting the people behind the data.
The vision for the data hub is inspired by the concept of a data trustee: a trusted intermediary that manages access to sensitive data and ensures that it is only used for legitimate and agreed purposes. Based on this principle, Health.AI will develop a data governance strategy for securely storing, processing, and sharing highly sensitive medical and personal data, including controlled access for external partners.
The approach will be tested in practice together with selected research projects funded within the Health.AI alliance. Their real-world needs and experiences will help shape and improve the data space. Security will be considered from the very beginning of development, following the Security-by-Design principle. Regular penetration tests will be used to uncover potential vulnerabilities and strengthen the system before they can become a risk.
In this way, the Health.AI Data Space will lay the groundwork for a trusted environment in which health data can be shared and used for research — securely, responsibly, and for the benefit of society.
Project Duration: October 1, 2025 – March 31, 2028
Funding: BMFTR – Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (Grant agreement 03WIR5610B)