Nancy University Hospital harnesses AI as a catalyst for talent attraction with Microsoft 365 Copilot

Nancy University Hospital faced growing complexity in administrative and financial management, with understaffed teams and increasing volumes of data, meetings, and reporting. The organization aimed to improve efficiency, free up time, and reduce cognitive load for staff.

CHRU Nancy deployed Microsoft 365 Copilot to a diverse group of users. The AI assistant, integrated into their Microsoft 365 environment, automates email drafting, document summarization, and presentation creation, adapting to each role’s needs and streamlining daily administrative tasks.

With Microsoft 365 Copilot, teams save one to three hours per week, reduce cognitive load from repetitive tasks, and improve overall organization. Staff can focus on higher-value work, benefiting from a modernized environment and enhanced working conditions across the hospital.

From research to a hospital-wide AI strategy

The story starts in 2018. Nancy University Hospital (CHRU) ran forums to familiarize clinicians with AI, explain its potential, and open a dialogue about practical use cases in the hospital.

Very quickly, the teams moved from awareness to early pilots, notably around sleep and the use of physiologic signals in support of research.

According to Jean-Christophe Calvo, head of the regional department for digital transformation and biomedical engineering, the guiding principle is clear: “Using AI should help us improve efficiency, free up time, and reduce staff cognitive load—ultimately improving working conditions.”

Soon, the conversation moved beyond research to the hospital’s day-to-day operations. As in many institutions, administrative and business teams were understaffed, facing growing volumes of data, meetings, and reporting. In that context, AI emerged as one of the levers to help manage this complexity.

“Using AI should help us improve efficiency, free up time, and reduce staff cognitive load—ultimately improving working conditions.”

Jean-Christophe Calvo, Head of the regional department for digital transformation and biomedical engineering, Nancy University Hospital (CHRU)

Targeting the right roles to evaluate Microsoft 365 Copilot

In this context, Nancy University Hospital (CHRU) decided to pilot Microsoft 365 Copilot, the generative AI assistant integrated into Microsoft 365, with an initial cohort of 50 users. The objective was to assess, in realistic conditions, what the tool can help deliver across diverse roles, while not accessing medical data in this first phase.

The cohort included executives handling high volumes of data and email, business/operations managers performing repetitive tasks, IT engineers, and secretaries and administrative teams.

The initial phase also helped refine the enablement approach. “At the beginning, we trained in fairly general terms—explaining the tool’s capabilities without anchoring in each role’s realities. We quickly saw that this wasn’t the right approach,” summarizes Jean-Christophe Calvo.

The team then adjusted course: personalized enablement, role-specific examples, and scenarios anchored in users’ day-to-day work.

Outcome: the 50 pilot users asked to continue using Microsoft 365 Copilot, and the IT department decided to expand the pilot to 300 users—all within a secure framework, integrated into the hospital’s existing Microsoft 365 environment.

An everyday assistant for finance and operations

For finance teams, Microsoft 365 Copilot serves as a true assistant within the existing work environment.

“It’s really my day-to-day assistant,” says Justine Paté-Madesclaire, Deputy Finance Director at Nancy University Hospital (CHRU).

In Outlook, she uses Copilot to rephrase emails, draft responses on recurring topics, and move faster on everyday communications. In Word, the tool helps produce summaries of long, complex documents. In PowerPoint, it generates presentations from existing documents or from a few up-front key points.

“I tweak, reread, and edit what I want—but I no longer have blank-page anxiety,” she explains.

Over time, the time savings became tangible: “Per week, I save between one and three hours, depending on the topics,” says Justine Paté-Madesclaire.

That recovered time can be reinvested in higher-value work—managerial oversight and deeper analysis of files that previously couldn’t be addressed with the same level of depth.

“Per week, I save between one and three hours, depending on the topics.”

Justine Paté-Madesclaire, Deputy Finance Director, Nancy University Hospital (CHRU)

A thought partner for the financial planning and analysis (FP&A) team

For Cécile Billon, FP&A Manager (Management Control), Copilot isn’t limited to producing content—it’s a thinking companion. “My grandmother used to think out loud in her kitchen. I discuss with Copilot at my desk, and it helps me move my thinking forward. It’s become a real day-to-day partner,” she says.

This Loop and Copilot combo makes it easier to stay organized, track actions, and capitalize on meeting history without starting from scratch each time. Beyond documents and meetings, AI also helps lighten cognitive load tied to recurring tasks and shifting deadlines.

“I’ve automated certain tasks with Microsoft 365 Copilot—they trigger on data arrival, even when timing varies,” Cécile notes. The data are then automatically archived in a dedicated folder, with a notification confirming availability.

“These small tools really change my day,” she says with a smile. Fewer micro-tasks to babysit means more mental bandwidth for analysis, decision making, and oversight.

“I discuss with Copilot at my desk, and it helps me move my thinking forward. It’s become a real day-to-day partner.”

Cécile Billon, FP&A Manager (Management Control), Nancy University Hospital (CHRU)

Measuring impact and steering an AI roadmap

Beyond qualitative feedback, Nancy University Hospital (CHRU) is building a formal AI roadmap. A dedicated steering committee selects use cases and evaluates each project’s impact through a clinico-economic lens: value created for the organization, time savings, reduced cognitive load, and improvements to working conditions.

“It needs to benefit the organization and its users—help them save time, lighten cognitive load, and offer better working conditions, which in turn supports the hospital’s employer appeal,” summarizes Jean-Christophe Calvo.

Within this framework, some solutions are set aside when they don’t provide sufficient added value, allowing investment to focus on the most relevant use cases.

This measurement discipline extends across the digital portfolio—from deployment to long-term maintenance.

“A portion of the gains generated by our IT expertise needs to flow back to the teams so we can reinforce capacity and sustain a virtuous cycle—maintaining and ensuring project quality,” Calvo adds.

Regional Health Agency (ARS)–backed model, built to scale locally

The initiative at Nancy University Hospital (CHRU) is supported by the Regional Health Agency (Agence Régionale de Santé, ARS), which is funding a five-year position dedicated to coordinating AI-related activities across the Lorraine region.

This role coordinates AI projects, organizes new-user training, animates the internal community, communicates results, and structures a repeatable operating model that other hospitals in the region can adopt.

The ambition is clear: position Nancy University Hospital as a reference site for responsible AI in support of care teams—and share learnings with stakeholders across the regional health ecosystem.

Co-building with Microsoft around useful, trustworthy AI

Success here rests on a long-standing, trust-based relationship between Nancy University Hospital (CHRU) and Microsoft.

“Our relationship with Microsoft goes back years, and we work in a co-building mindset—it’s an approach that’s been very effective for us. We receive personalized support, we work with powerful technology, and we’re developing new skills,” concludes Jean-Christophe Calvo.

By deploying Microsoft 365 Copilot at the heart of its productivity environment, the hospital illustrates how generative AI can help teams: save time, lighten cognitive load, streamline everyday work, and support employer appeal. A trusted, responsible AI approach in service of the people who keep the hospital running every day.