Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the thor(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EISMEA Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Helix proposes an innovative, market-ready cloud-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) solution built on the FedX federated learning technology, which operates on the principle that “data stays, AI travels.” This decentralized approach enables AI models to be trained and analyzed across multiple distributed datasets belonging to various data holders (hospitals, biobanks, private providers) without the data ever leaving its original, sovereign location, thus ensuring the highest level of data privacy and security. Starting at TRL 6 (System prototype demonstrated in a relevant environment), the 36‑month project will advance the Helix Platform to TRL 9 (Actual system proven in an operational environment) by establishing an interregional value chain involving 14 partners from Portugal, Italy, Hungary, and Poland. The consortium includes core technology provider E‑Group, data holders (e.g., ULS Coimbra, Synlab SDN, Pascale Foundation), and specialized partners for data preparation, business development, and market penetration (including EIT Health InnoStars). The project focuses on creating a sustainable Helix Ecosystem that connects health data holders with secondary users (pharmaceutical companies, researchers, health authorities) to facilitate advancements in areas like drug efficacy, predictive analytics for patient risk stratification, and AI‑powered diagnostics. A significant part of the project includes multiple cascade funding schemes to onboard and financially support a minimum of 45 SMEs from less developed regions, integrating them into the value chain as data integrators, added-value service developers, and AI model improvers. In essence, Helix will establish a robust, compliant, and scalable pan-European health data network, effectively mitigating market barriers for large‑scale health data analysis and accelerating the digital transformation of European healthcare.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the thor(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EISMEA Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Healthcare generates immense data, but strict privacy regulations (GDPR, Data Act) and fragmented storage across different systems create significant barriers to research and innovation. HeliX provides the technological and legal solution, creating a sustainable ecosystem for the secondary use of health data.
HeliX is based on E-Group’s FedX technology. This decentralized approach allows AI models to be trained at the source where the data resides (data stays, AI travels), ensuring full data security and sovereignty, in compliance with the European Health Data Space (EHDS) and the AI Act. This moves our solution from TRL 6 (prototype demonstrated in a relevant environment) to TRL 9 (market-ready commercial product).
Our primary goal is to establish a market-ready platform and sustainable ecosystem for research, innovation, and market analytics across sovereign data spaces. We aim to: 1. Reinforce the integration of innovation actors from less developed regions (Campania, Norte, Centro, Madeira, Western Transdanubia) into EU value chains. 2. Support interregional innovation investments to bring solutions from TRL 6 to TRL 9. 3. Bridge the gap between data supply (hospitals, biobanks) and demand (pharma, researchers) through a safe, legally compliant platform.
HeliX will deliver long-term societal and economic benefits by becoming the first go-to dataset for research and training AI-models of health innovations in Europe. This will lead to advancements in precision medicine, new drug efficacy studies, improved cost-effectiveness of healthcare systems, and reduced innovation divide across EU regions.
Overall project management and coordination (WP1, WP6). Acts as the primary SME facilitator and regional policy contact in Portugal.
Provides the core FedX federated AI learning technology, leading the Platform Configuration (WP3) and ensuring the solution scales from TRL 6 to TRL 9.
Leads Business & Operation Development (WP5) and manages the €2.4M Cascade Funding schemes (WP6) to accelerate value chain enlargement across less developed regions.
Leads the Data Preparation WP2 (T2.1-T2.5), specializing in data extraction, preparation, and standardization (e.g., OMOP CDM) to ensure AI compatibility.
Provides the Zero Trust blockchain nodes, facilitating a “fast track” integration (T6.4) pathway for Portuguese regional healthcare units (Madeira, ULSs).
Leads WP4 (Creating and validating federated AI-driven services), developing initial efficiency features (e.g., risk scoring) and supporting AI model training.
Cluster Manager of Campania’s life sciences ecosystem. Leads WP7 (Communication & Exploitation), ensuring SME outreach and policy linkage in Italy.
Accelerates outreach to the Italian health ecosystem and contributes to defining applied research functionalities and use cases (T4.2).
Acts as the main Polish policy contact, leveraging its extensive network (Polish Hospital Federation) to ensure regulatory alignment (T1.5) and onboard Polish hospitals.
Contributes clinical data (EHRs, Imaging, Biobank) from 9 hospital units and 26 primary care centers for validation and piloting.
A large enterprise data holder (IRCCS) providing extensive imaging (CT, MR, PET) and laboratory data (~100,000 images/year). Also validates AI model training (T4.2).
Scientific Institute for Cancer Research (IRCCS) in Naples, contributing specialized oncology and biobanking data for initial pilots.
Private health care facility contributing specialized data, including diagnostic imaging, for use case validation.
Acts as the main Hungarian policy contact, facilitating SME integration and liaising with the national S3 authority.
The work plan is structured into 7 Work Packages (WPs) to ensure a robust progression from setting technical foundations to achieving EU-wide market penetration.
Focuses on mapping, standardizing (OMOP CDM, etc.), and transforming the initial data holders’ datasets to make them accessible via the FedX Edge Nodes, ensuring AI compatibility and data cleansing.
Develops and configures the core Helix Platform, implements the secure FedX Edge Nodes at data holder sites, and deploys Data Adapters for automated integration. Includes crucial Data Security and Compliance Audits to certify compliance with GDPR/AI Act
Identifies data holder needs (T4.1) and develops initial value-added services and efficiency features (e.g., patient risk scoring, workflow optimisation). Validates federated AI model training through applied research questions on imaging data (T4.2)
The primary mechanism for rapid EU-wide expansion. This WP manages three distinct Cascade Funding Schemes (total: €2.4M allocated to minimum 45 SMEs) to onboard new data integrators, develop 3rd party apps, and improve AI models across less developed regions.
Final Milestone: The Helix Platform is fully configured, validated, scalable, and commercially viable, ready for global market entry.
HeliX is dedicated to fostering innovation across Europe. We offer multiple avenues for SMEs, start-ups, researchers, and hospitals to join the new European health data value chain and benefit from our privacy-preserving infrastructure.
We are running three open calls (grants up to €60,000 each) with a focus on integrating SMEs from less developed/outermost regions:
1. Data Integrators: Support to onboard additional data holders (e.g., hospitals, clinics) and perform data mapping/transformation services.
2. 3rd Party Services: Develop and deploy new value-added applications and features for the Helix Platform Marketplace.
3. AI Model Improvement: Finance the training, re-training, or enhancement of AI models using the distributed, privacy-preserving datasets on the Helix Platform.
Integrate your data assets securely via the FedX Edge Nodes. You maintain data sovereignty while gaining access to AI-powered insights, benchmarking reports, and operational efficiency tools. We provide the expertise and tools (T2.6 Training) for standardization and integration.
Pharma, CROs, universities, and health authorities can access large-scale, high-quality, privacy-compliant European datasets for research, drug development, policy-making, and Al model validation.
Stay informed about project milestones, Cascade Funding launches, and regional outreach events (T7.5). We regularly attend and present at major industry forums like the EIT Health Summit, Frontiers Health, and regional Digital Summits.
Access our foundational documents: D2.1 - Framework document of data standardization methods and data annotation standardization procedures (M6), D4.1 - Study of the findings of initial and follow-up data holders’ surveys (M9), D4.2 - Report on initial research scenarios and Real-World data use cases (M18).
Access training packages and video tutorials (D2.2, D4.3) developed for IT operators, data holders, secondary data users, and 3rd party app developers to facilitate seamless use and integration with the Helix Platform.
Coordinator: Health Cluster Portugal.
Contact: Anabela Veiga, Project Manager,