The Health and Technology Institute of Troyes (IS2T)

The Health and Technologies Institute of Troyes, a new step in the service of research and innovation in health

The Hôpitaux Champagne Sud (HCS) and the Université de Technologie de Troyes (UTT) are two historical partners in innovation and research in the field of health.

The Institute of Health and Technology of Troyes (IS2T) links all the subjects of collaboration between the two actors and gives them visibility. It provides a framework for the development and implementation of innovative projects for the benefit of patient care, both in hospitals and at home.

The institute aims to bring together actors working in the field of technology and digital health and covers multidisciplinary themes related to applied mathematics, computer science, physics, human and social sciences, management and health.

The institute aims to create an innovative ecosystem, with the objective of national and international recognition. It promotes excellence in research and education for health and technology. It will support the development of socio-technical tools essential to biomedical progress and to support clinicians, health institutions and patients. This will be achieved through close collaboration between researchers from different disciplines (mathematics, physics, computer science, humanities and social sciences) and professionals working in the field of health.

The institute is in line with European challenges as well as local responses and gives a common and clear identity to the collaboration between the Hôpitaux de Champagne Sud and the UTT. It constitutes a simple and identified entry point to all the expertise and projects carried out by these two partners.

The missions are multiple :

• To bring together the various actors in the health sector at both academic and clinical levels
• To give visibility to research in the service of health
• To lead the scientific community working on this subject
• Promote the emergence of partnerships and the development of research.
• Develop training in the field of health technologies

Scientific axes and societal challenges

In articulation with the existing institutes and Chairs within the UTT, the institute is interested in training, research and technology transfer at the service of the individual, patients, professionals or health establishments according to 6 scientific axes :

• Data processing (AI, big data)
• Operational safety (prognosis, maintenance)
• Optimisation (operational research, decision support)
• Design and uses (human-machine interaction)
• Networks (IoT, cybersecurity)
• Hardware and mechanics (mobility, transport)
• Nanotechnologies (biosensors, optics)

In addition, the institute is interested in multiple societal challenges, such as :

• Autonomy and well-being of the elderly
• Prevention and health promotion
• The patient pathway and cooperation around the patient
• The organisation of health establishments and the quality of life at work
• Judiciary and risk management in health care institutions

The thematic axes supported to date by IS2T are the following :

• Autonomy and ageing well
• Prevention and Health Promotion
• Patient care
• Organisation and logistics of health care institutions
• Safety and health risk management

Champagne Sud Hospitals and the University of Troyes, a long-standing collaboration

Operational research projects

The HCS has developed a close cooperation with the UTT on all these subjects within the framework of a Master Partnership Agreement signed in 2015 such as the organisation of flows in health establishments, logistics, security, data management, research and university training, starting with a living lab project on ageing which obtained European funding. By accessing 15 years of hospital data, UTT has used its expertise to extract models of representation and sustainable uses or to optimise logistical flows. This cooperation found an additional impetus in 2014 with the reception of doctoral students and the desire to work on the management of organisations. This objective is complementary to the clinical research initiated by the medical community in conjunction with the Clinical Research and Care Research Unit of the Troyes Hospital Centre. A University Degree in Hospital Information Systems and Logistics was then created in partnership.

Another important joint project was the mapping of emergency room flows in order to assess bed requirements, anticipate any influx of patients, improve the quality of work of care providers and organise interoperability with private clinics.
 

The first Smart Healthcare International Conference

In autumn 2020, the HCS and the UTT successfully co-organised the first edition of the SHeIC (Smart Healthcare International Conference). Scheduled for December 2-3, 2021, the second edition will address smart health, hospital logistics and the use of data to improve the medical act and the well-being of patients.
 

Membership of the Connected Innovation Chair

At the beginning of 2021, the HCS joined the Connected Innovation Chair of the UTT. This integration is inspired by several considerations:

• The integration of new technological components must allow the modernisation of health systems for a better care of patients and a better efficiency of health organisations : cloud computing, cybersecurity, big data, artificial intelligence, robotics, digital simulation, connected objects (IoT), augmented reality,...
• Digital innovation has a role to play in the entire value chain of the health industry and health organisations themselves : it enables the optimisation of research avenues and the digitalisation of management processes.
• The efficiency of logistics processes with the aim of improving production systems and increasing their reliability, as well as better managing the logistics dimension in various sectors (linen room, catering, etc.).

The participation of Champagne Sud Hospitals in the Connected Innovation Chair is part of a desire for wide-ranging cooperation with many local players in the university, research and industrial sectors, beyond the medical research carried out under the aegis of the Reims University Hospital.
 

The launch of a Territory and Exceptional Health Situation Chair (TESSE)

Last spring, the HCS and the UTT once again pooled their skills by creating the TESSE (Territory and Exceptional Health Situations) Chair to integrate the lessons of the 2020 health crisis into a model for anticipating future emergencies. This chair will offer research, training, advice and support at national level.

With the desire to enrich the institute, a partnership is possible with any actor in the health world who is actively willing to participate (academic partners, industrialists, structures and professionals in the health world, associations, professional orders, patient representatives, etc.).