Marcel Levy advocates for better cooperation between science and information technology

During his keynote speech at the BTG Business event in Noordwijk, internist and president of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), Marcel Levy, called for closer collaboration between science and information technology. According to him, much remains to be achieved in reducing a number of diseases. He says we are already on our way. “We live in the golden age of medicine. There is a lot going on and many diseases are already becoming more treatable.”

Levy was one of the speakers at the BTG Business event in Huis ter Duin in Noordwijk aan Zee, where the BTG award winners were also announced. In his engaging presentation, Levy gave a number of examples where information technology has helped medical science a lot, such as big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. For example, when accurately determining the clinical picture, but also to predict the number of visitors to the consultation. He also mentioned examples where this synergy was very disappointing. For example, with the use of the Watson supercomputer, from which a lot was then expected. “In any case, health care cannot do without good information technology,” he concluded.

Engagement programme
Earlier today, Fruitpunch AI’s Buster Franken gave a keynote about his company, which uses artificial intelligence and drones to help track poachers in South Africa, among other things. His organization is now active around the world, with around 1,500 AI engineers within the community helping to solve sustainable and ethical problems.

The evening’s well-attended BTG Business event was closed by Bas Timmer, who, with his organization Sheltersuit, provides homeless people and refugees in a slew of countries with a winter coat along with a slip-on sleeping bag. Visitors were very impressed by his story about the background of his organization and automatically donated money to a number of such shelters, through which the homeless could be kept warm again in the winter.

These three keynotes were part of an inspiring program that examined, among other things, the state of sixth generation and the opportunities and pitfalls surrounding cybersecurity. Moreover, Petra Claesen, CEO of BTG and BTG Services, announced plans for 2023.