On 4-5 December, one of the year’s major real-world data events took place again in Basel, Switzerland: BioDataWorld 2019. Among the almost 2,000 attendees coming from 28 countries, the IMI’s (Innovative Medicines Initiative) BD4BO (Big Data For Better Outcomes) project teams (EHDEN, HARMONY, BigData@Heart, PIONEER and ROADMAP) collaborated to raise awareness about their work and connect with a broad range of stakeholders who are active in the real-world data sector.
IMI, Project Lead, Colm Carroll shares his view on the value of IMI/BD4BO projects.
Day 1 was about issues, and included two roundtables: the first one discussed the pros and cons of the different IMI project approaches. Topics such as a central vs. federated network, FAIR principles, and open source architectures and tool development were addressed. The second session explored the need for data communities in Europe and why we should care. Issues, such as how to best address European health priorities and new clinical innovations, the EU Common digital market, and how integrated European research will meet the needs for real-world data in a global environment, were debated.
Day 2 was about connections: Firstly, a lunchtime panel discussion – ‘Connecting data communities with clinical research communities’. The event then wrapped up with the IMI Showcase: ‘Connecting the dots to benefit patients: Seven large-scale Big Data Public-Private Partnership’. After an introduction by the IMI, each of the projects presented themselves, shared challenges and how they are addressing them. This was followed up by a dynamic discussion with the audience.
To hear insights from the IMI and BD4BO project teams on a range of topics, click on the thumbnails below.
Why is it important to build real-world data networks in healthcare?
What’s the biggest challenge you face in creating such a data network for your disease area?
How do you see your BD4BO project and EHDEN goals coming together?
What impact will the BD4BO project have on patients?
“The real challenge is standardising data access procedures and data curation.” John Gallacher, ROADMAP
“PIONEER and EHDEN are very synergistic. EHDEN is about building a foundational platform and is working with many of the same tools we’re using in PIONEER.” Thomas Abbott, PIONEER
“There’s a lot of ambition to improve patient care very quickly, but we’re going to have to wait and see how long it actually takes.” Matt Wiener, EHDEN
To view all the presentations, visit our Open Science Framework repository here.