The PRISM-HU (Platform for Research Innovation and Support in Medicine – Hokkaido University) project was launched in response to the critical decline in the international competitiveness of Japanese medical research. Researchers today are overwhelmed by clinical and administrative duties. In Hokkaido, this is further compounded by the long-distance travel required to support regional medical care, making the security of “true research time” for creative endeavors a critical challenge.

The key to solving this lies in a radical environmental reform driven by the three pillars of “People,” “AI/DX,” and “System.”

First, we will deploy specialized personnel—such as data managers, AI programmers, and medical writers—to provide comprehensive support throughout the research process.

Second, we will introduce technologies like Local LLMs (Large Language Models), capable of handling confidential medical information, to automate clinical documentation and analytical tasks.

Third, we will build an environment where researchers can immerse themselves in their work by institutionalizing “Dedicated Research Time” and reducing travel burdens through the promotion of telemedicine.

Building on this foundation, 12 young Principal Investigators (PIs) will form three teams: “The Molecular and Basic Research Team,” “Imaging and Clinical Research Team,” and “The Big Data Omics Research Team.” By employing advanced approaches including the integration of spatial molecular data, the quantification of human phenotypes with AI, and the consolidation of real-world data (RWD) such as electronic health records, we will advance next-generation, data-driven research that fuses basic and clinical science.