TEF Health: Boosting AI Development in Healthcare
The EU-funded TEF Health project provides testbeds and expertise to help small and medium-sized businesses develop and deploy AI solutions in healthcare, with RISE as a key Swedish partner.
In January 2023, the EU launched TEF Health (Testing and Experimentation Facility for Health AI and Robotics), a major collaboration aimed at accelerating AI adoption in healthcare. RISE is a key Swedish partner alongside Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, and SciLifeLab.
The Vision
The project’s ambitious goal is for the EU to have 75% of companies implementing some form of AI solution by 2027. To achieve this, TEF Health provides the support infrastructure that smaller organizations often lack.
What TEF Health Offers
The initiative provides comprehensive support for companies developing health AI:
- Technical support for finished AI services, including access to data, digital twins, and test beds
- Living labs in collaboration with clinical partners for real-world testing
- Cybersecurity testing through the RISE Cyber Range facility
- Regulatory guidance for navigating the complex healthcare compliance landscape
Importantly, TEF Health services are free of charge for small and medium-sized companies developing high-quality, ethical, and legal digital solutions for health.
Project Scale
The scope of TEF Health is significant:
- Funding: 10 million EUR from the EU and Vinnova
- Partners: 52 organizations across 9 countries (Sweden, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Belgium, France, Germany, Finland, and Slovenia)
- Coordination: Medical University of Berlin (Charite)
Sweden’s Role
The Swedish node, led by Karolinska Institutet, focuses on the “Use Cases and Demonstrators” work package. Key areas include X-ray analysis, biological lab data (omics), and AI integration in clinical workflows.
RISE contributes approximately 30 testbeds and brings expertise in data modeling, AI, quality assurance, certification, business models, ethics, and regulatory compliance.
The Outcome
TEF Health represents a crucial bridge between AI innovation and clinical practice, ensuring that promising health AI solutions can be properly tested, validated, and brought to patients who need them.
