From Academia to the Clinic: Technion and Rambam Join Forces Through the TERA Initiative to Advance AI Research in Medicine

Recently, the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology hosted a matchmaking event bringing together researchers from the Technion and Rambam Health Care Campus, aimed at promoting applied AI research with the potential for clinical and scientific impact. The event sought to strengthen collaboration between the two institutions and to bridge real-world medical challenges – patients’ clinical needs – with solutions grounded in advanced artificial intelligence research capabilities. During the short presentations (pitches), participants introduced proposals in fields including women’s health, oncology, neurosurgery, infectious diseases, orthopedics, periodontology, neonatology, nuclear medicine, cardiology, pediatric rehabilitation, anesthesia, and pain management.

From right to left: Dr. Yona Vaisbuch, Rambam deputy director general and leader of the hospital’s digital transformation and clinical operations, Assoc. Prof. Joachim Behar, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences, academic director of TERA, Technion, Dr. Irena Papier, TERA Chief Operating Officer, Rambam Health Care Campus and Technion; Dr. Ronit Almog , Director of Epidemiology unit and biobank, TERA academic director, Rambam Health Care Campus Asst. Prof. Shlomi Laufer, Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences, TERA Executive Board, Technion

Some 20 physicians from Rambam and 15 Technion researchers presented challenges and ideas at the event, and joint teams from both institutions submitted proposals for collaborative research grants. These grants, providing seed funding of NIS 20,000 per project, are intended to support joint research initiatives involving researchers from both organizations. Participants also had the opportunity to consult with senior experts from the Technion and Rambam on matters related to digital technology, research methodology, ethical regulation, and more.

The event was organized by TERA — the Technion-Rambam Initiative for AI Research in Medicine. TERA is a joint infrastructure established by Rambam and the Technion that combines the Technion’s research excellence with Rambam’s clinical and research expertise to benefit human health. The initiative serves as a platform connecting Technion researchers and engineers with medical teams at Rambam Health Care Campus. It currently includes about 30 joint research projects involving 49 Technion researchers and Rambam physicians, as well as 28 Technion graduate students.

The event was opened by Technion Senior Executive Vice President Prof. Danny Raz; Head of the Technion Initiative for Human Health Prof. Noam Ziv; Rambam Deputy Director General and leader of the hospital’s digital transformation and clinical operations Dr. Yona Vaisbuch; TERA Directors Prof. Joachim Behar from the Technion and Dr. Ronit Almog from Rambam; and TERA Chief Operating Officer Dr. Irena Papier.

TERA recently approved funding of NIS 100,000 for a joint research project aimed at improving the performance of Rambam’s outpatient clinics through advanced AI tools. The project focuses on a context-aware intelligent management system for outpatient clinic operations, enabling hospital administrators to evaluate different scenarios and make data-driven decisions designed to shorten waiting times, reduce workloads, and improve the experience of both patients and staff. The research integrates architecture and smart environments, service engineering, and data science with the practical management of a complex healthcare system. The multidisciplinary team is led by Technion researchers Asst. Prof. Davide Schaumann from the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning and Assoc. Prof. Galit Yom-Tov from the Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences, together with Rambam representatives Roi Avraham, director of ambulatory services, and Nissim Haim, deputy hospital director and director of human resources, organization, and infrastructure.

TERA’s executive board includes Asst. Prof. Shlomi Laufer and Assoc. Prof. Dvir Aran from the Technion, alongside Prof. Assoc. Danny Eitan and Asst. Prof. Oren Caspi from Rambam.

TERA website: https://tera.technion.ac.il/