IBM Opens Watson Health European Center of Excellence

The IBM (Armonk, NY, USA) Watson Health analytics unit has announced it will open its first European Center of Excellence in Milan (Italy).

The Watson Health European Center of Excellence, part of a long-term collaboration between IBM and the government of Italy, will be located near the Human Technopole Italy 2040 research campus, supporting Italy's initiative to establish an international hub for the advancement of genomics, big data, aging, and nutrition. The formation of the Watson Health European Center of Excellence is also intended to encourage the development of a Pan-European ecosystem for healthcare reform, research, and health-tech start-ups.

IBM plans to invest up to USD 150 million during the coming years to bring together data scientists, engineers, researchers, and designers, who will work in collaboration with organizations across Europe to create a new class of cloud-based connected solutions at the intersection of cognitive computing, life sciences, and healthcare. The Center will provide access to resources and technology that can accelerate research into new treatment options, promote personalized medicine, and encourage discoveries aimed at improving overall public health management, while advancing sustainable health systems.

“Italy is important to IBM, not only because of the creativity, skills and talent of the country's workforce, but also because of the Government's efforts to digitize Italy's economy,” said Erich Clementi, senior vice president of IBM Europe. “That is why we are excited to announce our new Watson Health European Center of Excellence near Milan, which will support the Italian Government's healthcare reform and research agenda by bringing together Watson developers and IBM Research scientists to apply remarkable cognitive computing capabilities to modern healthcare problems.”

“Healthcare is undergoing tremendous change, driven by data. The volume and variation of health data is growing exponentially with each passing day and our ability to monitor new measurements of health, such as social data and weather data, are making global health an even more complex equation to solve,” said Deborah DiSanzo, general manager for IBM Watson Health. “This new era in health will not be achieved through solitary efforts. It will require the work of countless experts together in an ecosystem where ideas are easily shared to improve and save lives around the world.”

The Watson Health European Center of Excellence builds on recent IBM investments in Italy and across Europe, including a new IBM Cloud data center in Milan (Italy), and the opening of the Watson Internet of Things (IoT) Global Headquarters in Munich (Germany).

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