By extending and sustaining the European joint initiative on health information (InfAct)—launched in 2018 by the European Commission and coordinated by the Belgian public health institute Sciensano—DIPoH will facilitate collaboration and the exchange of best practices among European countries regarding health data. By jointly signing the memorandum of understanding, Santé publique France and the Health Data Hub are beginning a new chapter in their collaborative contribution to the European Health Data Space and reaffirming their commitment to improving public health.

Improving the visibility and availability of health data in Europe

DIPoH (Distributed Infrastructure on Population Health) will help better integrate and strengthen health information and data networks in Europe through services such as the creation of a European metadata catalog and training programs. DIPoH will also facilitate collaboration and the exchange of best practices among European countries regarding the collection, exchange, evaluation, accessibility, and reuse of health data. Following efforts by Santé publique France and the Health Data Hub alongside other participating European countries, this project is a candidate for the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI), whose objective is the development of research infrastructures within the European Union.

The creation of DIPoH is currently supported by some twenty European organizations that have either signed the memorandum of understanding or provided a letter of political support.

A project symbolizing strong European commitment

Participation in DIPoH reinforces the strong European commitment of Santé publique France and the Health Data Hub to help shape health data governance in Europe. Santé publique France and the Health Data Hub are also collaborating with other French partners¹ on the TEHDas project, coordinated by the Finnish innovation agency Sitra, whose objective is to develop a legal framework and best practices for data exchange. Thus, these two complementary projects will contribute to the creation of the European Health Data Space (EEDS).

These initiatives and collaborations will gradually strengthen the governance, accessibility, and structuring of health data at the European level, benefiting the entire ecosystem—including researchers, policymakers, private sector actors, and citizens—to the end of continuously improving public health.