British universities receive £12 million funding injection for AI innovation
The University of Manchester is set to join a pioneering research hub, led by the University of Edinburgh, that aims to revolutionize healthcare using artificial intelligence (AI). The EPSRC AI Hub for Causality in Healthcare AI with Real Data (CHAI) will receive £12 million in funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to develop innovative ways of uncovering important connections in complex health data. This initiative is part of the EPSRC’s £80 million investment in applying AI to real-world data and research. The goal of CHAI is to develop AI tools that can enhance decision-making processes, improve disease prediction, diagnosis, and prevention, and ensure the safety of AI technology in healthcare. The University of Edinburgh’s Professor Sotirios Tsaftaris will lead the hub, which will also involve researchers from Imperial, Manchester, UCL, Exeter, KCL, and over 50 partner organizations. The focus of CHAI will be on addressing critical health challenges such as infection, Alzheimer’s, cancer treatments, social care, diabetes, and rehabilitation. By bringing together experts from various disciplines, CHAI aims to create AI solutions that are more robust, fair, safe, and transparent. This ambitious project also aims to train the next generation of researchers in cutting-edge AI methods, ensuring the continued advancement of healthcare AI. Dr. Matthew Sperrin, from the University of Manchester, expressed his excitement about being part of the CHAI hub, stating that it aligns with the university’s strengths and offers an opportunity to transform the role of AI in healthcare.