Engineering for Health (E4H), the new interdisciplinary center of IP Paris

About 250 researchers, students, doctors, engineers and industrialists met on July 6 and 7 on the campus of the Institut Polytechnique de Paris for the first edition of the "Engineering for Health" Forum, during which the E4H Center was launched.

The forum, which will be organized annually in partnership with Inria and the Paris Saint-Joseph Hospital Group with the support of the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, featured:

• An Academic Symposium on July 6.
• The first edition of the Paris Saclay Cancer Cluster (PSCC) Thursday's on July 7. The PSCC, of which IP Paris is a founding member, aims to position France among the world leaders in the transformation of science into value in the field of cancer.

The launch of the E4H Center comes at a key moment, when " our society is witnessing a revolution made possible by the convergence of technologies and medical and social practices that offer unprecedented opportunities for innovative approaches to medical practice and research in life sciences ", noted Abdul Barakat, Scientific Co-Director of the E4H Center at the Center's inaugural ceremony.

In this context, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, with its academic excellence, cutting-edge research and an environment nurturing innovation, is positioning itself as a major player by anticipating the future of healthcare in order to meet the societal challenges related to life sciences. "The success of the Center will be based on IP Paris' high scientific and technological potential, particularly in medical imaging and predictive modeling of living systems, as well as on a both interdisciplinary and collaborative approach, involving researchers, students, research organizations and companies," said Eric Labaye, President of Institut Polytechnique de Paris.

"The center has three main missions: to bring together nearly 120 IP Paris research teams in the field of life sciences and medicine. To recruit students, post-doctoral fellows and faculty members in this field. And facilitate synergies between industrial, academic and hospital partners," added Abdul Barakat.

Synergies that also induce "a clash of cultures that is essential for progress and that will be a key to success for the founding partners of the E4H Center," as explained by Jean-Patrick Lajonchère, Managing Director of the Paris Saint-Joseph Hospital Group. Synergies that also revolve around the interdisciplinary approach: "We need a highly interdisciplinary approach where specialists in mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science and social sciences collaborate closely with the life sciences and medical communities," added Jean-Louis Mergny, Co-Scientific Director of the E4H Center.

The speakers of the inaugural ceremony: 

• Eric Labaye (President of Institut Polytechnique de Paris)
• Bruno Sportisse (President of Inria)
• Jean-Patrick Lajonchère (Directeur général Groupe Hospitalier Paris Saint-Joseph)
• Armand de Boissière (Secrétaire général Fondation Bettencourt Schueller)
• Abdul Barakat (Scientific co-directors E4H)
• Elsa Angelini (Professor at Institut Polytechnique de Paris)
• Sylvie Méléard (Professor at Institut Polytechnique de Paris)
• Stephan Haulon (Professor at Groupe Hospitalier Paris Saint-Joseph)
• Jean-Louis Mergny (Scientific co-directors E4H)