BMBF Publishes Guideline for Funding Projects on "AI-based Assistance Systems for Process-Related Health Applications"
The desire for health is a fundamental human need and a healthy lifestyle up until old age significantly contributes to quality of life. With the ongoing digitization of the healthcare system, new technologies offer opportunities to improve medical care. There is great potential in the clinical environment for the use of interactive technologies combined with methods of artificial intelligence (AI). In addition to the widely discussed potential in diagnostics, AI-based interactive systems can support processes in hospitals or similar healthcare facilities, thereby contributing to the improvement of medical, organizational, and administrative processes.
Especially due to the significant amount of time clinical staff spends on repetitive tasks such as documentation, coordination, and planning, AI applications can bring about significant workload relief. This frees up more time for empathetic care and medical treatment of sick people or for comprehensive counseling and individual communication with those affected. Improving the actual treatment, for example, through process-supporting use in surgical planning and implementation or postoperative care, is also a rewarding field of application.
The funding measure aims to research and develop AI-based interactive assistance systems that bring quantifiable and measurable improvements in clinical processes. One goal of the funded projects could be, for example, to reduce the working time for documentation tasks in the operating room by 50%, or increases in treatment satisfaction could be statistically significantly demonstrated through surveys. Due to the wide range of possible objectives, the projects to be funded under this guideline will have to define suitable goals, including key performance indicators for their achievement.
Furthermore, the existing innovation potential of the German medium-sized companies should be used and expanded. Therefore, in collaborative projects, start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), or medium-sized companies should receive at least 20% of the total funding.
The purpose of this announcement is to support research and development work on innovative, interactive assistance systems that support processes in clinical health care with methods of artificial intelligence. The resulting technological and social innovations should ultimately strengthen the health and quality of life of patients and individuals working in healthcare. Health is understood in terms of physical, mental, and social aspects.
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