JYU received 240,000 euros to improve the efficiency of social and health care services – the project investigates can AI improve service quality

The Academy of Finland awarded the University of Jyväskylä 240 000 euros in funding for a project that aims to improve management, planning, and service quality in social and health care by utilizing data analytics and artificial intelligence.

The project is led by the Wellbeing Services County of North Savo, and it involves the University of Jyväskylä, the University of Eastern Finland, and the Wellbeing Services Counties of South Savo and Southwest Finland. The Academy of Finland has granted a total of 800 000 euros for the project.

Professor Tommi Mikkonen, who coordinates the Jyväskylä section of the project, says that the aim is to support managers in evidence-based decision-making and help them make decisions that improve not only the quality of care but also staff wellbeing and the use of resources in social and health care.

"In a project like this, it is important to collaborate not only with universities but also with wellbeing services counties. This allows us to plan actions together with professionals and patients and pilot the results in real operating environments," Mikkonen explains.

OPTIMISE – Optimising performance in social and health care ecosystems through integrated management and data solutions – is a project that has been awarded three years of funding. The funding is part of the Academy of Finland's funding round, which aims to increase productivity in the social and health care sector and improve the quality of care. The funding is also intended to increase R&D cooperation between wellbeing services counties and universities as well as other research organizations.