Bonn University Hospital and Cyber Security Cluster initiate Innovative Secure Medical Campus 

The Innovative Secure Medical Campus is a unique cooperation project in Germany between Bonn University Hospital and the Cyber Security Cluster, which is also based in Bonn. Together, they are working on a transferable digitalization concept for the UKB, in which the use of state-of-the-art AI technology is considered together with the topic of cyber security and data protection from the very beginning.

Hospitals and especially maximum care providers such as the UKB are facing a major challenge that will become more urgent in the coming decades as a result of demographic change – a shortage of medical specialists with an ever-increasing number of patients suffering from complex diseases. Digitalization and data security play a crucial role in planning how to design processes more efficiently. This is where the project steps in: The aim is to use the latest technologies, such as 5G, artificial intelligence and surgical robotics, to develop the UKB as an Innovative Secure Medical Campus into a pioneer for the medical campus of the future.

Fundamental for precise therapeutic decisions of patients with complex diseases is the complete availability of all medical data collected in the context of treatment at the medical facility. In the current status quo, these data are often only available partly in digital and partly in analog form, while systematically structured databases that could be easily accessed with data mining for subsequent analyses, as well as digital exchange with external referring physicians (practices or clinics), are still insufficient.

In the Innovative Secure Medical Campus, the relevant data will be collected in a data lake, so that the digital availability and processing of the patient history, including preliminary findings, images, laboratory and pathology data, will be made possible in an uncomplicated manner. With the 5G network already installed on the campus, the necessary infrastructure for this project is provided. 

On this basis, AI systems can then be attached to support therapeutic decision-making (clinical decision support systems) or even make therapy simulations on digital twins possible. The holistic approach also pursues other, diverse goals, such as the optimization of surgical robotics, AI-supported intelligent resource planning or smart parking, i.e., the easy location of available parking spaces on a large medical campus. A trial of autonomously driving shuttle vehicles on the UKB campus is also planned. The digitization solutions will also be integrated into the smart city approach of the city of Bonn. 

Above all, the security aspect is crucial to the success of this project, because in the healthcare sector in particular, the trustworthy, protective handling of sensitive patient data is indispensable. Hacker attacks on medical facilities have repeatedly demonstrated this. To ensure cyber security and integrate intelligent security solutions, the Cyber Security Cluster Bonn is on board as a strong partner. The project is funded by the state with 17.5 million euros and will run for three years. The project is being led by Prof. Ulrike Attenberger, Director of the Clinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, UKB.