|
[Song Young Doo, Edaily Reporter] Lunit a medical artificial intelligence(AI) company, announced on April 7 that officials from France’s Secrétariat Général pour l’Investissement(SGPI), the investment authority under the Prime Minister’s Office, visited its headquarters in Gangnam, Seoul, on April 6 to discuss investment strategies in medical AI and potential collaboration in public healthcare across France and Europe.
The visit coincided with the recent summit between Korean President Lee Jae-myung and French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this month. Marking the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the two countries agreed to elevate ties to a “Global Strategic Partnership” and strengthen cooperation in key technologies such as AI and quantum computing.
The French delegation was led by SGPI Secretary-General Bruno Bonnell, a minister-level official, and included Catherine Simon, robotics advisor; Mathieu Brandibat, raw materials advisor; Marion Dos Reis Silva, Chief of Staff and Communications Director; Matthieu Lefort, Commercial Counselor at the French Embassy in Korea; and Oh Hyun-sook, Commercial Officer.
SGPI serves as the control tower for France 2030, a €54 billion(approximately KRW 94 trillion) national strategic investment program. The initiative supports R&D and industrialization in strategic sectors including energy, AI, and bio-health. Bonnell, a former member of parliament and a prominent figure in France’s digital and robotics industries, was appointed by President Macron to lead the program.
During the meeting, Lunit CEO Brandon Suh presented the company’s medical AI portfolio, global business status, and ongoing expansion in Europe, including France. Both sides engaged in in-depth discussions on the level of interest in medical AI across France and Europe, investment priorities, and policy insights related to the adoption of AI in public healthcare systems.
“Amid Korea and France advancing toward a global strategic partnership, it is highly meaningful that SGPI, a key driver of the French economy, visited Lunit to explore the potential of medical AI,” Suh said. “We will leverage this opportunity to ensure that Lunit’s AI technology delivers tangible value in public healthcare systems across France and Europe.”
Meanwhile, Lunit has identified France as a key strategic market in Europe and is actively expanding its presence. Last year, the company was selected as a supplier in a tender by UniHA, France’s largest public hospital purchasing cooperative, for its AI-based breast cancer diagnostic solution, securing access to over 1,500 public hospitals. Lunit has also established a distribution channel to approximately 400 medical institutions through a partnership with Groupe VIDI, a French imaging network.
Copyright ⓒ 이데일리 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지
