Eschborn/Singapore — March 12, 2020 — Ocean Protocol is partnering with Zühlke, a service provider for innovation projects, technology and business expertise. The goal of the collaboration is to create solutions for pharma, medtech and life science companies that facilitate an open data economy for healthcare without losing control over the data. Zühlke will provide expertise in evaluating and implementing innovation projects while the technological basis for these solutions is Ocean Protocol’s decentralized data exchange protocol.
#Shared Vision of the Healthcare Ecosystem
Răzvan Olteanu, Founding Team Member at Ocean Protocol and COO at BigchainDB, highlighted “Big Tech companies are already collecting and using huge amounts of health data without compensating their owners. We would like to create a sustainable and transparent alternative.” Stefan Grasmann, Head of Competence Center and member of the board at Zühlke Engineering GmbH, added “We have a shared vision of the healthcare ecosystem as a sector, which has a significant potential for AI but is hampered by the sensitivity of health data. Together with Ocean Protocol we aim to create solutions that allow the usage of this data that is fair and safe for all involved parties.”
According to Răzvan Olteanu:
Ocean Protocol wants to kickstart an open data economy by breaking down data silos and equalizing access to data for all, creating a marketplace for health data
For Stefan Grasmann, the topic revolves around one central aspect:
To really ensure data privacy, the patient should keep full control over the access to their health data and be able to answer the following questions: Who can access my data to which degree and what is it used for?
#Start with lighthouse projects
Ocean Protocol and Zühlke see great potential for a decentralized marketplace for healthcare data. However, for Răzvan Olteanu this is no sure-fire success:
Just because an idea sounds good does not mean it can be realized. You have to start with smaller projects and then scale up. That’s why we have chosen Zühlke as our partner: They have the business know-how to identify and challenge business models and have the track record of implementing innovative projects across the entire healthcare sector.
The next steps in the joint efforts of Ocean Protocol and Zühlke will be workshops to develop use cases and tailored offerings followed by a joint approach to potential customers. Stefan Grasmann:
Ocean Protocol offers a very promising technology for all cases where different parties want to share data without losing control over it. We are confident that we can create first business opportunities together with interested customers as early as in 2020.
Disclaimer: Ocean Protocol and Zühlke are two separate companies that will continue to act as separate legal entities.
#About Ocean Protocol
Ocean Protocol is a decentralized data exchange protocol to unlock data for AI, launched in 2017. Through blockchain technology and the OCEAN token, Ocean Protocol connects data providers and consumers, allowing data to be shared while guaranteeing traceability, transparency, and trust for all stakeholders involved. It allows data owners to give value to and have control over their data assets without being locked-into any single marketplace.
#About Zühlke
Zühlke is a service provider for innovation projects. By combining both business and technology expertise, the company creates solutions that satisfy its customers. Zühlke develops financially successful products, services and business models for today’s digital world — from coming up with the initial idea through to the implementation and operation. This is achieved by drawing on the experience of over 1000 in-house experts and of more than 10,000 successful projects.
The Zühlke Group has local teams in Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Hong Kong, Serbia, Switzerland, Singapore and the United Kingdom. In 2017, Zühlke generated CHF 171 million (DE: EUR 154 million UK: £135 million) in revenue.