Luxembourg is preparing to become a pioneer in the medicine of the future through the HE:AL Campus project, which will be established in Esch-sur-Alzette starting in 2024. During the ICT Spring 2023 event, Jean-Paul Scheuren, who initiated this project with his partner Romain Poulles, both of whom are also involved in the House of Biohealth (HOBH), emphasized that this ambitious campus aims to attract innovative companies rather than students, contrary to what the term “campus” might suggest.
An accelerator rather than an incubator
According to Jean-Paul Scheuren, the HE:AL Campus should be better described as an “accelerator” because it will focus on accelerating the development of a new approach to medicine and healthcare. This project is part of the creation of a “health valley,” a structure aimed at bringing together all the stakeholders of the medicine of the future to foster idea exchange, innovation, and the development of new health technologies.
The medicine of the future, as defined by Jean-Paul Scheuren, will be based on the 4 Ps: personalized, preventive, predictive, and participatory medicine. It will involve a holistic approach to health, emphasizing personalized treatments and disease prevention. To achieve this, it will be essential to collect and leverage medical data to make more informed decisions about care.
The medicine of the future
The HE:AL Campus will be structured over an area of 80,000 square meters and aims to attract at least 100 to 150 new companies. The goal is to create a critical mass to generate and attract even more startups. The campus will be located between research and the hospital, allowing for direct and numerous interactions between the different institutions.
The strategy of the HE:AL Campus will be proactive, aiming to attract specifically targeted companies to address the challenges of the medicine of the future. Luxembourg will seek to recruit and support partners and companies that will help develop these new medical approaches, with both short-term and long-term perspectives.
Luxembourg is leveraging its small territory to create an environment conducive to innovation in the healthcare field. Although the journey ahead is gradual, by offering economic development opportunities to these innovative companies, the HE:AL Campus promises to position Luxembourg as a pioneer in the future of medicine. “We have the desire to become a globally recognized and interconnected enterprise, a global hub for health sciences, where data-driven companies thrive.”