The International Health Data Space Initiative (IHDSI) brings together institutions from Luxembourg, the United States, and South Korea to build a secure, federated, and privacy-compliant infrastructure for health data integration and research.

The IHDSI is led by the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) and the National Cancer Center Korea (NCCK), in partnership with technology leaders NAVER Cloud Corporation, Okestro Co Ltd, and Cipherome Inc. Its mission is to overcome fragmented health data systems and enable legally compliant access to data across international borders.

The initiative aims to support global clinical research and innovation, with an initial focus on precision medicine for cancer and other complex diseases. By creating a federated research infrastructure, IHDSI will allow institutions to conduct AI-powered, privacy-preserving analyses across countries and health systems.

Initial research will focus on two major areas. LIH will lead the development of a bladder cancer cohort, gathering clinical and multi-omics data to identify biomarkers and design personalised treatment strategies. Meanwhile, NCCK will oversee a Parkinson's disease cohort to validate the technical performance of the federated data connector in live research environments.

On the technological side, NAVER Cloud will contribute its AI expertise and cloud infrastructure, Okestro will provide full-stack cloud solutions, and Cipherome will supply its Compass platform; a secure, AI-driven analytics tool for interpreting large-scale clinical and molecular data.

Dr Ulf Nehrbass, CEO of LIH, said: "We are proud to co-lead this strategic initiative that will fundamentally reshape how health data is accessed and used for research. IHDSI exemplifies our commitment to enabling global collaboration and accelerating precision medicine, particularly in cancer."

Dr Geon Kook Lee, Director of NCCK's Research Institute, added: "This partnership represents a critical leap forward in building robust, privacy-conscious infrastructure for international clinical research."

The project aligns with European regulations such as the European Health Data Space (EHDS) and standards like GAIA-X.

To support long-term success, the partners will form a Joint Steering Committee (JSC) to guide strategic direction, alongside technical and clinical working groups to manage implementation. Annual meetings will track progress, refine plans, and ensure alignment across all partners.

By combining clinical excellence with cutting-edge technology, IHDSI aims to create a sustainable, patient-centred model for global health research – with Luxembourg playing a central role in shaping the future of data-driven medicine.