The KI-SIGS projects demonstrates how medical AI technologies from the model region Northern Germany can be developed better and brought to application faster. The heart of the project is the AI Space, a platform that serves for organization of knowledge transfer, the coordination of planned developments and the establishment of regulatory and ethical rules.

For instance, the question of how AI based technologies can be made approvable by official institutions is yet to be answered. This aspect, much like the ethical implications, requires further scientific research. In addition, the initiative involves nine applied projects with specific and realistic questions on AI technologies, such as the improvement of the qualitiy of X-ray images, the optimization of ventilation therapies or the detection of crisis situations in intensive care units.

KI-SIGS responds to the structural change in the economy, labour market and society caused by the digitalization. It was initiated in the past year with the confirmation of a funding over roughly ten million Euros by the German federal government and the support of the state governments of Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and Bremen. The project is one of the 16 winners of the innovation competition “Artificial Intelligence” by the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and has prevailed amongst a field of 130 applicants. This was only able due to a shoulder-to-shoulder cooperation and intensive preparation during the competition phase.

Dirk Schroedter, Director of the State Chancellery of the State of Schleswig-Holstein, picks up this though in his address on the occasion of the kick-off, emphasizing that “the combination of the competences is more than just the sum of its components”. Furthermore, he acknowledges the spirit of optimism in the project and assures the political support of the state government of Schleswig-Holstein for the runtime of the project.

Prof. Stefan Fischer, spokesman of the project and Vice President of the University of Luebeck, and Prof. Martin Leucker, head of the project consortium of KI-SIGS at the UniTransferKlinik Luebeck GmbH, thank all initiators and contributors for the excellent work during the competition phase. “Now, its all about compiling the single points of interest and competences for the creation of a consistent ecosystem and its stabilization”, Prof. Leucker motivates. Prof. Fischer stresses the importances of the political support of all three state governments as well as the cluster management Life Science Nord (LSN).

Prof. Dr. Christoph Lueth of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and the Universtiy of Bremen: “The platform will factor in extensive aspects of the development of AI applications in the area of health while simultaneously connecting doctors, computer scientists and end users. For us at the Cyber-Physical Systems research department of the DFKI, this also includes the implications of our technological developments that ought to be considered. In this case, we see on the one hand the ethical aspects, and on the other hand the unanswered question of the approval of AI based products of medical technology. A collaboration such as the one in KI-SIGS allows for this by creating close connections between many competent partners.”

Further information:
Website von KI-SIGS
Projekt-Porträt auf YouTube

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Christoph Lüth
German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI)
Cyber-Physical Systems
Mail: Christoph.Lueth@dfki.de
Phone: +49 421 218 59830

Press contact:
Corporate Communications Bremen
German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI)
Mail: uk-hb@dfki.de
Phone: +49 421 17845 4180