LifeSaver Lausitz: New impetus for healthcare

The Medical University of Lusatia - Carl Thiem (MUL - CT) and the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) are launching the LifeSaver Lausitz innovation programme together with Airbus Helicopters and CHESCO GmbH. The aim of the programme is to further develop healthcare in the Health Lusatia model region with the help of digital technologies and new mobility solutions, while at the same time supporting the region's economic structural change.

The core of the project is the creation of a digital twin of the Lusatia Health Model Region. This digital image is intended to bundle existing data on healthcare, mobility, demographics and environmental factors and make it analysable. Specific innovation projects are to be developed and implemented on this basis - including in the areas of medical logistics, drone applications, disaster control, telemedicine and digital administration and information services.

Prof. Dr Gesine Grande, President of the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg: "LifeSaver shows how excellent research can be turned into concrete solutions for the people of Lusatia. At BTU, we are pooling the expertise of our institutions - from the chesco research factory to the iCampus and continuing scientific education - and working closely with business and science. Together with the Medical University of Lausitz - Carl Thiem and Airbus Helicopters, we are testing drone systems that enable safe, efficient and reliable supply flights. The result is a pilot project with a model character that will sustainably strengthen the medical infrastructure, even in sparsely populated regions."

Heiko Witte, Manager of CHESCO GmbH: "With our research on digital twins for sustainable propulsion systems in aviation, we at CHESCO can make a central contribution to the aviation ecosystem in the development of the digital map of the Lusatia Health Model Region. The digital twin can be used to map ecosystems for flight operations with medical drones. In this way, the range, effectiveness, safety and efficiency of supply flights can be evaluated and applications in mobility and air transport can be specifically linked and further developed."

The programme follows a systematic approach: first, a data-based analysis is carried out to determine where there is a specific need and which measures promise the greatest benefit for the population, administration and the economy. Based on this, application-oriented projects will be developed, which will be gradually transferred from research to regular operation.

The signing of a declaration of intent today marks the start of a process that will initially run for six months. During this phase, an overall concept including a financing structure will be developed. In addition, the requirements for the digital twin will be concretised and initial app and use case projects will be developed. The aim is to establish a long-term innovation programme with measurable benefits for people in the region.

Dr.-Ing. Klaus Freytag, Lusatia Representative of the Minister President of Brandenburg: "With the signing of the LOI, we are experiencing the direct effects of structural development. In future, the university hospital, research players and high-performance companies such as Airbus will provide modern healthcare services for people in the model health region, thereby creating new added value in Lusatia.

Background

Lusatia is undergoing extensive structural change as a result of the coal phase-out. With the Lusatia Health Model Region, the state of Brandenburg is pursuing the goal of securing medical care in the long term, creating innovative research and development conditions and opening up new economic prospects. MUL - CT forms the central scientific and medical foundation for this.

LifeSaver was developed by Airbus together with International SOS. The service is aimed at governments and regions that want to improve their healthcare provision with the help of new technologies.

Dr Klaus Przemeck, Member of the Manager of Airbus Helicopters in Germany: "LifeSaver stands for efficient healthcare through technological innovation. The Health Lusatia model region offers ideal conditions for trialling modern mobility solutions with our partners and scaling them up across regions."

The programme is always based on a detailed analysis of local care structures and needs in order to realistically simulate the benefits of innovative solutions. Similar projects have already been successfully implemented in Estonia, Bavaria and Japan, among others. In Brandenburg, LifeSaver is being specifically adapted to the regional characteristics.

The digital twin of the model region Gesundheit Lausitz acts as a kind of "operating system" on which various applications and projects can be based as apps or use cases - for example to optimise emergency services, for medical transport by drone, for digital citizen and administrative services or for disaster control planning.

Particular attention is being paid to the model character of the region: innovations that are developed and trialled in Lusatia should also be transferable to other regions in Germany and internationally in the future.

Martin Peuker, Chief Digitalisation Officer at MUL-CT: "Here in Lusatia in particular, we face special logistical challenges - long distances, an ageing population and limited resources demand new answers. With innovative, digitally supported care models, we can make medical care more resilient, faster and more networked. Our aim is not just to optimise existing structures, but to actively advance the model region and develop solutions that will also serve as a blueprint for modern healthcare provision beyond Lusatia."

In this way, the programme not only contributes to improving healthcare provision locally, but also strengthens the competitiveness and attractiveness of Lusatia as a business and science location.

Press contact MUL - CT

Britta March
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