HKSTP and Hospital Authority Establish Data Collaboration Lab at Science Park to Enable Industry Access to Clinical Big Data

Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) and Hospital Authority signed an agreement to co-launch the HKSTP HA Data Collaboration Lab at Hong Kong Science Park in October 2023, providing 1,400+ Park companies and their partners with direct access to anonymous clinical data from HA’s database of around 200,000 patients. The HKSTP HA Data Collaboration Lab will be the first and only access portal to HA’s database for nonacademic research and development (R&D) purposes, allowing the industry to transform clinical data into life-changing biomedical and healthcare innovations.

Mr Albert Wong, CEO of HKSTP, said: “HKSTP HA Data Collaboration Lab is a game-changing addition to HKSTP’s innovation and technology (I&T) ecosystem. Seamless data collaboration among hospitals, academia and the industry will fuel Hong Kong’s healthcare transformation and digital economy ambitions. With the support of the new HKSTP HA Data Collaboration Lab, we look forward to witnessing the birth of more breakthrough technologies by our Park companies as they seek to positively impact lives across the globe.”

Dr Tony Ko, Chief Executive of Hospital Authority, said: “Our partnership with HKSTP is another major step in our collective goal with the government to provide wider industry access to clinical data and drive collaboration and innovation. This is a big moment in our mission to accelerate healthcare transformation and elevate Hong Kong’s healthcare capacity and quality at all levels.”

Located on 2/F, Building 19W of Hong Kong Science Park, HKSTP HA Data Collaboration Lab will provide comprehensive infrastructure to enable exclusive access to HA’s Self-service Data Platform, which consists of clinical records from around 200,000 patients randomly selected from 2007 and 2017, stratified by age and gender, to support the development of new innovations. Data ranges from patients’ demographic characteristics, attendance records to hospitals and clinics, clinical diagnoses, procedures, medication records, to laboratory and radiology examination results.

HKSTP has embedded a series of stringent security measures to protect data security and privacy. Physical measures include onsite personnel, surveillance systems, and a dedicated room for exclusive access. In addition, the network is isolated from the Internet to prevent unauthorised access, while data cannot be downloaded, saved, or printed by users, and all personal information is removed from the database to protect patient anonymity. HKSTP has also established two governance committees the HKSTP Clinical Research Ethics Committee and the Data Governance Committee to ensure compliance with all matters related to data protection and privacy, as well as clinical research ethics.

The HKSTP HA Data Collaboration Lab will officially launch in October 2023 after a pilot run. By then, all 1,400+ HKSTP Park companies primarily biotech and healthcare companies their partners and academic researchers, can apply for access. Each application will allow for five-day access for
exploration.

This collaboration stems from Hong Kong’s 2021 Policy Address, which tasked HKSTP and HA to promote better collaboration and data sharing among the R&D and healthcare sectors. Access to the Self-service Data Platform was exclusive for academic research and publications at a few secure locations. The establishment of HKSTP HA Data Collaboration Lab at Hong Kong Science Park will expand the user base from academia to the industry, marking another milestone in HKSTP’s journey of strengthening collaboration with stakeholders from government, industry, academic and research sectors to transform Hong Kong into an international I&T hub.