Datavant Joins NSF and Partners in Launch of the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot Providing Privacy-Preservation Technologies to Safeguard AI-Enabled Data

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Jan 25, 2024, 11:00 ET

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In collaboration with 11 federal agencies, alongside private sector, nonprofit, and philanthropic organizations, the NAIRR pilot is set to offer U.S.-based researchers and educators access to cutting-edge computing, datasets, models, software, training, and user support. This initiative will empower AI research by connecting experts with essential resources needed to support their work. As it expands, the NAIRR pilot will also contribute to shaping the comprehensive NAIRR ecosystem. This pilot serves as a proof of concept, catalyzing the investment required to bring the complete NAIRR vision to fruition.

"The breadth of partners that have come together for this pilot underscores the urgency of developing a National AI Research Resource for the future of AI in America," said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. "By investing in AI research through the NAIRR pilot, the United States unleashes discovery and impact and bolsters its global competitiveness. To continue leading in AI research and development, we must create opportunities across the country to advance AI innovation and strengthen educational opportunities, empowering the nation to shape international standards and igniting economic growth. NSF is proud to lead this effort with our current and future partners."

Under the National Institutes of Health (NIH) leadership for the NAIRR Secure focus area, Datavant will enable complete longitudinal health records to be assembled and mined, an essential component of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI. Datavant has led the use of privacy-preserving record-linkage methods and enabled privacy-preserved datasets for the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) since 2020, ensuring accurate and representative data while safeguarding privacy.

"Datavant is excited about the opportunity to use our privacy-enhancing technology, expertise, and datasets to support NAIRR Secure and NAIRR Software. As part of NAIRR Secure, Datavant will help the NIH NCATS National Clinical Cohort Collaborative and the NIH NIBIB Medical Imaging & Data Resource Center connect their multi-modal decentralized data in a privacy-preserving manner to formulate accurate, representative, longitudinal health records" said Dr. Vera Mucaj, Chief Scientific Officer and General Manager, Public Sector, Datavant Inc.

Datavant is contributing $2.6 million in the form of access to Datavant's privacy-preserving record linkage platform, privacy-preserving data discovery tools, and staff expertise in support of the NAIRR secure component of the pilot as well as elements of the future NAIRR software stack.

About Datavant
Datavant's mission is to connect the world's health data to improve patient outcomes. Datavant works to reduce the friction of data sharing across the healthcare industry by building technology that protects the privacy of patients while supporting the linkage of patient health records across datasets. Learn more about Datavant at www.datavant.com.

About National Science Foundation (NSF) NAIRR
The National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) is a concept for a national infrastructure that connects U.S. researchers to computational, data, software, model, and training resources they need to engage in AI research. This includes innovations in AI technology as well as the full range of science and engineering fields and economic sectors touched by AI.

Researchers can discover and apply for initial access to NAIRR pilot resources through the NAIRR pilot portal at www.nairrpilot.org. The NAIRR pilot welcomes additional private sector and nonprofit partners. Those interested are encouraged to reach out to NSF at [email protected]. 

SOURCE Datavant