The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) is getting a location in Brandenburg. Since January, a center for artificial intelligence in public health research has been under construction in Wildau, the RKI announced on Monday. Already "in the next few months" it should be ready for use. Around 100 jobs are planned, it said, and a manager is currently being sought.
AI to help tap complex data sources
The project is called Center for Artificial Intelligence in Public Health Research, abbreviated ZKI-PH. According to RKI, the technologies can be used to harness coarse and complex data sources in the future, "for example, to analyze epidemics more comprehensively and further develop early warning systems". The structure is financed with demand funds from the structure strengthening law coal region, it hieb. Cooperation talks with the TH Wildau were ongoing.
The RKI is a federal institute within the Ministry of Health and deals mainly with disease surveillance and prevention. In addition to locations in Berlin, it has an Auben office in Wernigerode in the Harz Mountains.
The background of the project is the plan to combine health data from different projects in a universal app in the fight against the current pandemic and future virus epidemics, the Corona warning app would be a part of it. This is to create a tool for digital epidemiology. At ZKI-PH, such data and other data could be used for image and behavior analysis as well as for molecular monitoring. Artificial intelligence could also help to implement such procedures faster.