Paper by Michael Byczkowski: “At the core of the medical data economy lies a fundamental challenge: while data drive scientific progress, their collection and maintenance require significant financial and human resources. Hospitals and research institutions invest heavily in collecting, curating, annotating and analysing vast amounts of medical data, all while complying with strict regulatory and ethical requirements. These processes demand advanced technology, skilled personnel and secure digital infrastructures, yet the financial burden of it is often disproportionately shouldered by public institutions and healthcare providers.6
Despite these substantial investments, the economic returns from medical data are often realised much later and largely benefit private sector entities which commercialise insights through pharmaceuticals, medical devices or AI-driven diagnostics. This creates an inherent imbalance: while data originators bear the initial effort, financial rewards accrue downstream, where companies leverage refined datasets for product development and monetisation.
This pattern reflects a broader dynamic in the biomedical innovation pipeline, where public research institutions frequently contribute foundational knowledge and infrastructure in early-stage, non-commercial discovery, while private-sector actors engage in later-stage development with commercial potential, regulatory approval and market delivery…(More)”
