The four university hospitals (CHU) of the Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes region (CHU of Clermont-Ferrand, CHU Grenoble Alpes, Hospices Civils de Lyon, CHU of Saint‑Étienne) jointly prepared a response to the national call for projects supporting the development of health data warehouses (EDS), launched as part of the France 2030 Investment Plan.
After a hearing before a panel of experts, the ‘DataHubHOURAA (D2H)’ project was selected among the 10 winning projects of wave 2, as announced on December 14 by Aurélien ROUSSEAU, Minister of Health and Prevention, during the Digital Health Council.
The D2H Project is led by the Health Cooperation Group Hôpitaux‑Universitaires Rhône‑Alpes Auvergne (GCS HOURAA), which brings together the four university hospitals of the Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes region. This selection will enable the GCS institutions to receive State financial support covering 50% of the expenses incurred for building a regional health data hub.
The creation of a Regional Health Data Hub supported by the technical and organizational pooling of resources among the CHUs of the GCS HOURAA.
The four university hospitals (CHU) have made a strong commitment to co‑develop a fully shared and natively interoperable solution, known as ‘EDS‑D2H’. This solution will enable the creation of a regional hub of health data warehouses, helping to break down silos between the data held by each institution and thereby facilitating their use within the hospitals themselves. The development of this solution is based on strong technical and organizational pooling among the four institutions.
This project will support the promotion of multicenter studies and help reach the critical mass of data needed to participate in larger‑scale initiatives, whether regional or national, in connection with the Health Data Hub. EDS‑D2H opens up many opportunities for research, innovation, management, and quality improvement.
The regional momentum behind this project will also support communication and training initiatives aimed at increasing stakeholders’ understanding and adoption of health data use. It will also help strengthen partnerships with academic networks and the health industry, which are already actively contributing to the project.
The unprecedented partnership between two industry players in the development and design of a ‘ready‑to‑use’ data warehouse (EDS) to ensure its long‑term sustainability.
The EDS‑D2H Project is supported by two French industrial partners: Thales, through its teams dedicated to digital services, and DOCAPOSTE, which leads the digital activities of La Poste Santé & Autonomie. The involvement of industrial partners in a project of this kind is unprecedented in France. Their participation will help ensure the long‑term sustainability of EDS‑D2H beyond the 40‑month duration set by the call for projects, and will enable its deployment to other institutions that may join the network of data warehouses formed by the four CHUs of the Auvergne–Rhône‑Alpes region.
Testimonials
Valérie Durand‑Roche, Chief Executive Officer of the Clermont‑Ferrand University Hospital (CHU).For the Clermont‑Ferrand University Hospital (CHU), the interoperability of the shared solution will facilitate the use of the data integrated into the regional health data warehouse (EDS) hub. This regional momentum will support multicenter studies and accelerate partnerships with the academic sector and the healthcare industry. This is already the case with the MOBILISES project in the Auvergne–Rhône‑Alpes region, which will help structure and combine complementary health data around the patient record, innovative e‑health tools, and artificial intelligence. The objective is to build e‑cohorts for musculoskeletal diseases, predict and prevent loss of autonomy and comorbidities associated with these conditions, improve the patient pathway, and support a tailored, graduated response.
While the EDS is a strategic asset for health research, it is also a key lever for analyzing and strengthening care pathways across the territory!
Monique Sorrentino, Chief Executive Officer of the Grenoble Alpes University Hospital (CHU), Deputy Administrator of the GCS HOURAA.Health data and their processing represent a strategic priority for developing tools that improve the quality and organization of care, support research, and strengthen hospital management. As early as 2016, the Grenoble Alpes University Hospital (CHU) committed to building a health data warehouse (EDS), which received CNIL approval in 2019. Technical and operational developments have continued since then, with a primary focus on supporting research projects.
Examples include the implementation of an observatory for cardiovascular diseases and for health technologies; the development of Odiasp, an artificial‑intelligence‑based software that could help detect malnutrition; initiatives supporting preventive healthcare through population risk stratification; and work exploring environmental health. Building on this experience, CHUGA is proud to contribute to the co‑development of an EDS solution with the region’s three other university hospitals. This represents the natural continuation of the work carried out locally so far.
The project will enable the industrialization and pooling of tools through the creation of a regional HUB, which will in particular facilitate population‑health use cases across the Auvergne–Rhône‑Alpes territory.
Virginie Valentin, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Hospices Civils de Lyon.The EDS‑D2H project is one of the pillars of the health data strategy of the Hospices Civils de Lyon (HCL). It aligns with their decision to develop the Easily electronic health record (EHR) software, which is being widely deployed across the Auvergne–Rhône‑Alpes region, including within the university hospitals of Saint‑Étienne, Clermont‑Ferrand, and Grenoble. The project enables the launch of a major technological partnership with THALES and DOCAPOSTE, two sovereign industrial players with strong expertise in securing and processing health data.
It carries forward the momentum initiated within the GCS HOURAA for research collaborations among the four CHUs of the Auvergne–Rhône‑Alpes region, and will support the implementation of ambitious, multicenter, data‑driven research projects, particularly in the fields of infectious diseases and healthy ageing.
Olivier Bossard, Chief Executive Officer of the Saint‑Étienne University Hospital (CHU).The EDS‑D2H project led by the GCS HOURAA represents a major opportunity for the Saint‑Étienne University Hospital (CHU), which had not yet undertaken such an investment. It will enable the hospital to benefit from support and shared experience to strengthen research projects involving the collection and processing of health data — for example, the development of a joint research unit with the Hospices Civils de Lyon in the field of oncology.
It is also a real asset in view of establishing a research‑focused GCS at the scale of the Loire hospital network (GHT Loire). Fully aligned with the regional network strategy of the CHUs, the Saint‑Étienne University Hospital will, thanks to this EDS, be able to fully play its role for the benefit of the population it serves and more easily deploy its research strategy.
