CENTRE HOSPITALIER REG UNIVERSITAIRE DIJON

Their core work

CHU Dijon is a regional university hospital in Burgundy, France, that combines clinical care with translational research, particularly in rare diseases and population-level screening. In EU projects, they contribute clinical expertise, patient data, and access to hospital infrastructure for studies on rare disease diagnosis, newborn screening, and cervical cancer prevention. Their work bridges the gap between laboratory research and bedside application, with growing involvement in digital health tools like machine-learning phenotype checkers and electronic health records for faster diagnosis.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

CHU Dijon entered H2020 in 2018 focused squarely on rare disease research through European Reference Networks and expert-driven diagnostic approaches (Solve-RD, EJP RD). From 2021, their scope broadened into population-level screening — both newborn genetic screening for rare diseases (SCREEN4CARE) and cervical cancer screening in vulnerable groups (CBIG-SCREEN). This signals a shift from diagnosis of already-identified rare disease patients toward earlier detection and preventive screening at scale.

CHU Dijon is moving from reactive rare disease diagnosis toward proactive population screening using digital tools and genetic testing — a strong fit for future eHealth and precision medicine consortia.

How they like to work

CHU Dijon operates primarily as a third-party contributor and participant rather than a project leader — they have never coordinated an H2020 project. They work in very large consortia (199 unique partners across 36 countries), which reflects their role as a clinical site providing patient access and hospital data within major European initiatives. This makes them a reliable clinical partner who integrates into existing structures rather than driving project design.

Despite limited direct project participation, CHU Dijon has touched 199 unique consortium partners across 36 countries — a consequence of joining large-scale European rare disease networks. Their reach is pan-European with no evident geographic concentration beyond France.

What sets them apart

CHU Dijon offers what many research-only institutions cannot: direct access to a functioning hospital environment with real patient populations, clinical records, and screening infrastructure. Their combination of rare disease clinical expertise and growing capacity in digital health tools (machine-learning phenotype checkers, EHR integration) makes them a practical partner for projects that need to validate research findings in a real clinical setting. For cervical cancer screening, they bring a health equity lens that is increasingly required in EU-funded health projects.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Solve-RD
  Largest funded project (EUR 369,650) and a flagship rare disease initiative using European Reference Networks to solve undiagnosed cases through multi-omics data analysis.
• SCREEN4CARE
  Represents their newest direction — combining newborn genetic screening with machine-learning and digital platforms to accelerate rare disease diagnosis.
• CBIG-SCREEN
  Marks a departure into cervical cancer prevention with a strong health equity and implementation science focus, broadening CHU Dijon's profile beyond rare diseases.