Enabling Decentralised Digital Twin Era in existing Research Infrastructures for Predictive, Preventive, Personalised, and Participatory Health

In the face of a rapidly advancing digital healthcare terrain, the DTRIP4H project emerges as a momentous effort to revolutionize predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory health paradigms within the EU. Amid significant incidence of chronic conditions and cancer, there is a pressing need for a proactive shift in health strategies. Yet, the full potential of European research infrastructures (RIs) is curtailed by investment deficits, fragmentation, and the intricacies of data management. Digital Twin (DT) technology introduces a new age of precision by enabling sophisticated simulations and analyses of intricate biological processes. In DTRIP4H, we start a new initiative in Europe “decentralized health digital twin ecosystem consisting of RIs”. Using DTs, we aim to resolve critical challenges around data harmonization, equitable access, and stringent privacy safeguards. Incorporating technologies such as federated learning, Generative AI, and Virtual Reality (VR), the project aspires to create a decentralized digital twin environment (DDTE). This will empower both internal and external RI users, such as researchers, innovators, and SMEs, to craft DT applications that address specific scientific challenges, utilizing a blend of real-world and synthetic data in compliance with regulatory frameworks, i.e. GDPR. We will develop 7 innovative proof of concept thematic health-related Use cases fulfilling the needs of scientists, SMEs, and industrial end users, particularly in health topics related to cancer treatment, drug development, human environmental exposome, precision treatment for schizophrenia and personalized medicine through Artificial Intelligence (AI), AR/VR empowered DTs utilizing DDTE, while adhering to FAIR data principles. DTRIP4H adopts a human-centric methodology to elevate research efficacy, narrow the skills gap, and align with the objectives of the European Research Area (ERA) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.