About us

Why We Exist

Healthcare data has the potential to transform how we understand disease, deliver care and improve health outcomes. When used safely and effectively, insights from healthcare data can support earlier diagnosis, better clinical decision-making, personalised treatments and improvements in healthcare services.

However, healthcare data is complex, fragmented and often difficult to access. Unlocking its potential requires more than data alone -  it requires secure technology, robust governance and collaboration between healthcare professionals, researchers, patients and partners.

iCARE was created to address these challenges. We bring together the expertise, infrastructure and partnerships needed to enable the safe and responsible use of healthcare data, ensuring it can be transformed into evidence that benefits patients and healthcare systems.

Our History

iCARE was established in 2019 through a partnership between Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, founded by Professor Erik Mayer with a vision to bring together healthcare, research and technology to unlock the potential of health data for patient benefit.

Recognising the need for secure, trusted and collaborative approaches to using healthcare data, iCARE was created to bridge the gap between clinical practice, data science and innovation, bringing together the expertise, infrastructure and governance needed to enable responsible use of health data.

Data is Knowledge Erik Mayer Director of iCARE | Clinical Associate Professor | Consultant Urological Surgeon

During the COVID-19 pandemic, iCARE rapidly expanded its capabilities to support urgent research and analytics needs, demonstrating the importance of secure access to high-quality healthcare data in responding to healthcare challenges.

Today, iCARE sits at the centre of Imperial’s digital health and biomedical research landscape. As the Digital Health lead for the Imperial NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, iCARE continues to support research, innovation and service improvement across the NHS.

Our Role in Digital Transformation 

The NHS 10-Year Health Plan sets out an ambition for a more digital, preventative and data-driven healthcare system. Achieving this requires the ability to safely use data, generate evidence and translate innovation into improvements in care.

iCARE is uniquely positioned to support this transformation. Bringing together Imperial College London’s research excellence and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust’s clinical expertise, we connect healthcare, data and technology to enable meaningful change.