Korea-Estonia Joint Cooperation on AI Healthcare... Utilizing Genomic Information

Ministry of SMEs and Startups Holds Director-General Level Talks with Estonia's Ministry of Social Affairs
AI Healthcare Roundtable Scheduled for the 5th

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups is promoting joint cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) healthcare with Estonia.

Minister Oh Young-joo of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

On the 3rd (local time), the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced that it held a director-level consultation in Tallinn, Estonia, with the Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs to discuss ways to utilize medical data such as genomic information.

Estonia has an innovative startup ecosystem. According to research firm StartupBlink, Estonia's startup ecosystem ranks 12th, higher than Korea's 20th place. It also has a high level of ICT infrastructure, having introduced the world's first electronic voting system in 2007.

Based on this infrastructure, most daily medical data is collected and stored using blockchain technology. Additionally, through the Biobank project that big-datafies the genetic information of its citizens, information from more than 200,000 people has been collected. The standardized medical data has become the foundation for Estonia to lead healthcare innovation in Europe.

In Korea, the entire population is enrolled in health insurance, and screening records are continuously generated, accumulating a significant amount of public medical data annually. However, due to the lack of regulatory frameworks and social consensus regarding the use of medical data, there are limitations on companies' utilization of this data.

During the consultation, Kim Hong-ju, Director of the Special Zone Planning Division at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and Janika Merilo, Director of the e-health Strategy Department at the Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs, discussed procedures and methods to support companies in the Gangwon AI Healthcare Global Innovation Special Zone to utilize Estonia's genomic information. Both governments also agreed to show interest and support for a joint research and development (R&D) project between companies in the Gangwon Special Zone and the University of Tartu in Estonia.

On the 4th, Heo Jang-hyun, Director of Gangwon Technopark, the dedicated institution for the Gangwon AI Healthcare Global Innovation Special Zone, and Andrus Kurvits, Chairman of Tartu Science Park, a regional innovation institution in Estonia, will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to support demonstration projects and workforce training for AI healthcare companies.

On the 5th, the "Korea-Estonia AI Healthcare Roundtable" will be held. The roundtable event will be attended by healthcare companies from both countries, the Director of the Clinical Research Center at the University of Tartu, Estonia, Professor Moon Ji-sook from CHA University, and other experts.

Director Kim said, "If companies in the Gangwon Global Innovation Special Zone utilize the vast amount of healthcare data established by Estonia, it will greatly aid AI healthcare technology development," adding, "We will seek support measures not only for technology development but also to help expand into global markets, including Europe."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.