Whitehall is backing three UK-based research projects through investing £37.5m in the Research Ventures Catalyst (RVC) programme, while a further £44.7m is coming from coinvestment from other sources.
The programme aims to deliver new ways of funding research, breaking away from the standard funding model, which is often seen as a barrier to innovative and creative research.
The funding is spread across three projects, two of which are focused on using artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare to improve treatment.
Science and technology secretary Peter Kyle said the funding is part of the government’s plan to spark a “decade of national renewal”, and support researchers and businesses to drive innovation. “Today, we open new avenues for them to do exactly that – building bridges with our international partners so the entire global community can share in the boundless opportunities of AI-powered progress and backing new innovative companies applying AI to tackle real-world challenges,” he said.
PharosAI, a joint venture between two London NHS trusts and two universities, aims to use already-existing NHS and Biobank data and host it on a unified secure AI platform. NHS organisations and academia, together with industry, will create an ecosystem for AI-powered precision medicine, hoping to improve diagnostics and treatment for cancer and other life-changing diseases.
Anita Grigoriadis, professor of molecular and digital pathology at King’s College London, one of the universities involved in the project, said PharosAI will “democratise cancer AI”. “AI has the potential to revolutionise cancer care,” she said. “The UK has a real opportunity to be a major innovator, leading to faster diagnosis, novel and more targeted cancer treatments, and better-informed healthcare for patients.
“Thanks to the RVC programme, we will build a unique operational approach between King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Barts Health Trust and industry partners. Our innovative collaboration will accelerate scientific breakthroughs and bring vastly improved cancer care to tomorrow’s patients.”
Harnessing expertise
Bind Research is receiving £12.9m in government funding, matched by £12.9m in coinvestment, to adopt a not-for-profit-focused research organisation model. The aim is that the structure of the model will allow researchers to harness expertise to deliver AI-enhanced tools and datasets as public goods. Through this, researchers hope to make disordered proteins, which are associated with various diseases, and offer treatment and medicine for a range of diseases currently untreatable.
Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said he wants patients to benefit from groundbreaking treatment, and that “AI will be central” in achieving that.
“This new funding is another step to unlock the enormous potential of AI for cancer research and drug discovery – ensuring more patients like me experience the highest quality care,” he said.
“AI will help us speed up diagnoses, cut waiting times for patients and free up staff, as we deliver our plan for change and shift the NHS from analogue to digital.”
The third project receiving funding is MEMetic, which will get £6.1m from the government and £7.1m in co-investment to revolutionise water management.
The aim is to combine solutions already existing in nature with state-of-the-art polymer chemistry, which can support researchers to develop new solutions in various fields, from lithium recovery in battery recycling to clean water access.
The government recently published its AI opportunities action plan, setting out a series of measures to develop the UK as a powerhouse for AI.
As part of the plan, the government earlier this week invited local and regional authorities in the UK to bid to become one of the UK’s AI growth zones.
The plan to develop AI growth zones is part of the AI opportunities action plan policy, and is focused on speeding up planning permission for AI-led initiatives.
To drive use of AI in public sector, the government has also published a set of transparency data for public sector organisations, called the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard, a framework for accessible and open information sharing about the use of algorithmic tools across the public sector.
The aim is to show how technology can be utilised in public services and develop public trust around the use of AI.
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