GUEHDS is an innovative consortium uniting key players in health and data technology. At its core are Instituto Pedro Nunes, a R&D center and business incubator in Coimbra, Portugal, and two major healthcare providers—the Local Health Units of Coimbra and Santo António—serving the North and Central regions of the country. Leading the consortium is Promptly Health, a pioneer in privacy-preserving health data analytics. Together, this diverse team is developing solutions for secure, privacy-focused health data access and governance, aimed at advancing healthcare research and innovation across Europe.
Can you briefly present your team?
GUEHDS brings together Instituto Pedro Nunes, an R&D center and business incubator based in Coimbra, Portugal, and
both Local Health Units of Coimbra and Santo António, major hospitals covering the North and Center region of Portugal.
Promptly Health is the consortium leader, a leading innovator in privacy-preserving health data access and analytics technologies.
How did you come up with this project idea and what benefits will it bring to the end users?
Currently, there are no end-to-end solutions capable of combining Electronic Health Records (EHR) with other data sources, for conducting longitudinal and real-time studies, in a transparent, secure, and privacy-preserving manner.
Controlling which data is shared, with whom, and for what purpose is a critical challenge. The solution will enable secure management of data access permissions, allowing data custodians to control consent for sharing data with specific researchers (data processors).
How is TrustChain supporting your growth and what role does it play for the next steps in your development?
TrustChain is supporting our growth by fostering collaboration and emphasizing a user-centric approach. Its coaching helps us balance technical innovation with a meaningful user-centered approach (UCA).
Why did you apply to the TrustChain call and has your vision changed since then?
We applied to the TrustChain call to align with our vision of fostering innovation in decentralized, user-centric solutions, with a shared focus on enhancing user privacy and data governance. Our vision is to solve the health data accessibility and utilization challenge, accelerating research and driving healthcare innovation.
What is the most valuable takeout from the TrustChain project and why was the topic of the Open Call important to you/your team?
We are dedicated to driving innovation in healthcare by ensuring that data is utilized in a secure and responsible manner. This project has highlighted how federated frameworks and effective governance empower healthcare organizations to tap into the transformative value of health data, all while safeguarding privacy. This represents a key milestone in building a trusted and collaborative European Health Data Space (EHDS) to solve the health data accessibility and utilization problem to accelerate research and healthcare innovation.
Did you establish collaboration with any of the TrustChain teams or plan for any kind of synergies? If yes, what is the biggest potential in such collaborations?
It’s always beneficial to be surrounded by strong references and like-minded collaborators. The ecosystem and the opportunity to connect with other teams are key strengths of this project, with its greatest potential lying in combining our strengths to drive innovation based on a shared vision.
What are your expectations regarding the TrustChain software ecosystem and its contribution to the NGI priority areas?
We anticipate that it will play a key role in advancing the NGI priority areas, particularly in data sovereignty, privacy, trust and fostering a transatlantic
collaboration focused on innovation towards an internet of the future.
By enabling more secure data governance and empowering individuals with control over their digital identities, we expect the TrustChain ecosystem to foster a more transparent and trusted online environment. Its focus on interoperability, open-source solutions, and sustainable models aligns with the vision of a decentralized, user-centric internet.
What are the next steps for your team?
Our solution introduces a novel approach in Europe, particularly with our data partners. To expand in the European market, we will directly engage potential customers through live demonstrations and tailored use cases.
What is the message you would give to new and potential applicants to TrustChain Open Calls?
We encourage potential applicants to explore the TrustChain ecosystem’s strengths in decentralized privacy technologies. By joining the community, teams can access support to develop innovative solutions that align with TrustChain’s goals of enhancing privacy, trust, and secure data governance in decentralized systems.
