The Chinese University of Hong Kong and its partners have announced the launch of the first medical data space in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. This initiative is designed to enhance medical collaboration and foster scientific research development within this $2 trillion economic region.
According to a media release, the establishment of the cross-border data space follows the recent formation of a digital health alliance in the area. Key partners involved in this project include the International Data Space Association, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), the National Engineering Centre for Next Generation Internet, and CUHK Big Data Ltd. Together, they have begun developing the necessary infrastructure to ensure interoperability within the system.
The goal, as stated by CUHK, is to maintain data security throughout the entire processing cycle—from generation and acquisition to storage, processing, distribution, and ultimately, destruction or archiving. This will facilitate the flow and application of cross-border medical data, enabling the region’s medical industry to engage in international cooperation and contribute to the advancement of global health technology.
Founding members of this initiative include Zhongda Hospital, Shenzhen Qianhai Shekou Free Trade Zone Hospital, and the Guangzhou Nansha District Health Bureau. Other participants in the project are the Hong Kong eHealth Alliance, China Big Data Co., and The University of Hong Kong.
The launch of the medical data space comes on the heels of a newly formed 12-member digital health alliance in the Greater Bay Area, spearheaded by HKSTP. This alliance has laid a solid foundation for the development of the medical data space, with the HKSTP, along with the Hospital Authority Hong Kong, serving as a precursor to this initiative. In 2023, a data collaboration laboratory was introduced at HKSTP, granting direct, exclusive access to the HA Self-service Data Platform, which houses anonymous clinical records for approximately 200,000 patients.
The establishment of the Greater Bay Area medical data space aligns with China’s Trusted Data Space Development Action Plan, launched last year by the National Data Administration. This plan aims to pilot over a hundred trusted data spaces by 2028, promoting industry-wide data collaborations and generating economic value.
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