Swiss Re joins global coalition to combat pandemics with data-led approach

Global reinsurer Swiss Re has joined a global coalition that aims to better predict and prevent outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics by harnessing the power of data and analytics.

Swiss Re has become a member of The Trinity Challenge, a coalition of universities, foundations and leading technology and health companies including Google, Microsoft and Facebook, GlaxoSmithKline, McKinsey & Company, the Gates Foundation, the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London.

The Trinity Challenge aims to develop ideas and tools for tackling the three stages of infectious disease emergencies – identification, response and recovery.

Swiss Re has integrated COVID-19 related health, economic and social data in one unique platform, Risk Resilience Center, which will be made available to participants of the coalition. It will enable advanced analyses of COVID-19 metrics and their connection with the status of countries’ medical systems, business or travel activity.

The platform, developed with big data analytics firm Palantir Technologies, is already used by companies to help guide COVID-19 related workplace policies, mental health management or capital requirements.

Ian Haycock, chief data officer at Swiss Re, said: “As one of the world’s leading tech- and data-enabled reinsurers we have been using data to make the world more resilient for more than 150 years. We are proud to build on this legacy by opening our pioneering Risk Resilience Center for the benefit of global health.

"It typically takes weeks to have data integrated and curated – our platform updates, checks and transforms datasets automatically and multiple times per hour, with a continuous flow of incoming data, allowing for cross-country comparisons and drilldowns on states and regions. Equipped with these cutting-edge capabilities, The Trinity Challenge participants can analyse the spread of a pandemic, the economic impact of lockdowns or the success of behavioural changes like wearing a mask in limiting further infection."

Dame Sally Davies, Master of Trinity College at the University of Cambridge, former chief medical officer of England and Convenor of The Trinity Challenge, said: “Having access to this wealth of data and analytics creates a tremendous opportunity for academics, researchers and analysts. It provides the basis for new modelling, ground-breaking analyses and actionable solutions. We invite researchers and analysts from the public and private sector to apply to join the Challenge, work with Swiss Re and Palantir, and make their insights available as global public goods."