UK announces AI eye care research funding

Eye health research projects using artificial intelligence (AI) to assess and refine diagnostics and procedures have received part of £13m of funding.  

Michelle Donelan MP, secretary of state for science and technology, announced the funding from UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Technology Missions Fund.  

Professor Daniel Rueckert, from Imperial College London, received £600,000 for a project developing privacy-preserving AI for the diagnosis and treatment of age-related macular degeneration.  

Dr Pearse Keane, from UCL, received £453,000 for a project that used foundation AI models for ophthalmic imaging and diagnosing retinal diseases.  

Dr Kedar Pandya, executive director of cross-council programmes at UKRI, said the potential for AI to accelerate and improve all aspects of health was vast.