Owkin Launches Europe’s First Pan-European Agentic Infrastructure for Biology
At the Franco-German Summit on Digital Sovereignty in Berlin, Owkin, a leading AI company in biomedical research, unveiled a groundbreaking initiative in collaboration with two top European academic institutions: Gustave Roussy in France and Charité Comprehensive Cancer Center in Germany. The project marks the launch of the first pan-European agentic infrastructure designed to transform raw biological data into AI-ready formats, representing a major step toward achieving biological super intelligence. The goal is to accelerate scientific discovery, enhance drug development, and strengthen Europe’s digital sovereignty in life sciences. The new infrastructure will leverage advanced AI methods, including generative models, large language models, and autonomous agent systems, to process, interpret, and integrate vast and complex biological datasets. These include genomic, proteomic, clinical, and imaging data from diverse European populations. By making this data interoperable and machine-readable, the system will enable researchers across Europe to train and deploy AI models more efficiently, while maintaining strict data privacy, security, and compliance with European regulations like GDPR and the European Health Data Space (EHDS). A key feature of the initiative is its agentic architecture—systems that can autonomously perform tasks such as data curation, quality control, model training, and hypothesis generation. This level of automation reduces the time and expertise required to turn biological data into actionable insights, empowering researchers to focus on innovation rather than data wrangling. The infrastructure is also designed to be federated, meaning data remains in its original location, and only insights or model updates are shared, ensuring data sovereignty and trust. The project is particularly significant in the context of Europe’s push for digital sovereignty. As AI becomes central to life sciences, the ability to develop and control homegrown AI systems using European data is critical. This initiative positions Europe to lead in responsible, ethical, and secure AI for health, reducing dependency on non-European platforms and protecting sensitive health information. Owkin, which specializes in privacy-preserving AI for healthcare, has already demonstrated success in using AI to identify new drug targets and predict patient responses in cancer research. The new pan-European infrastructure will scale these capabilities across a broader range of diseases and research areas, with a strong focus on oncology, rare diseases, and precision medicine. The collaboration brings together world-class academic expertise and cutting-edge technology. Gustave Roussy, a leading cancer research center in France, and Charité, one of Europe’s largest university hospitals, will provide high-quality, real-world clinical data and deep domain knowledge. Their involvement ensures the system is grounded in scientific rigor and clinical relevance. The initiative is also expected to foster a new generation of interdisciplinary researchers and create a shared digital ecosystem for biomedicine in Europe. It may serve as a model for future cross-border scientific collaborations, not only in health but in other data-intensive fields. While the project is still in its early stages, its announcement at a high-level political forum like the Franco-German Summit signals strong support from European leaders. The success of this effort could redefine how biological data is used in research, making AI a true co-pilot in the quest to understand and treat diseases. In a world where AI is reshaping science, this pan-European infrastructure represents a bold, strategic move to ensure that Europe remains at the forefront—not just as a user of AI, but as a builder of its future. By combining data, technology, and collaboration, the project aims to unlock the next era of biological discovery, all while upholding the highest standards of ethics, security, and sovereignty.
