An Edinburgh-based research organisation has been awarded £3.6 million from Scottish Enterprise for a project that utilises artificial intelligence (AI) to improve medical scans and faster data analysis.
Canon Medical Research Europe’s (CMRE) new project will cost around £14 million in total, and is expected to benefit both patients and health services.
It is hoped it will lead to AI-based smart solutions automating routine tasks, in turn speeding up patient scanning and allowing consultants to make quicker and better-informed decisions for those receiving treatment for illnesses such as cancer.
The funding was announced at a recent meeting with president of CMRE Dr Ken Sutherland, Scottish Government Health Secretary Neil Gray and chief executive of Scottish Enterprise Adrian Gillespie ahead of a health event at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, taking place from June 23-26.
The Health Secretary said: “Scotland has a long-standing reputation for innovation in health and life sciences, and Canon Medical Research Europe exemplifies that strength.
“This investment in AI technology has the potential to transform the way we deliver healthcare by speeding up diagnosis, supporting our clinicians, and ultimately improving outcomes for patients.
“I’m proud to see Scottish expertise leading on such cutting-edge developments and look forward to showcasing this innovation on the world stage at Expo 2025 in Japan.”
Dr Sutherland said: “We have a strong focus on AI and automation with the goal of helping clinicians to diagnose and treat more patients.
“It makes me very proud to think that the innovation we create here in Scotland can benefit the people of Scotland and, through our parent company, the rest of the world.”
Mr Gillespie said: “This cutting-edge research project, led by Dr Sutherland and his team at Canon Medical Research Europe in Edinburgh, has the potential to be transformative for the NHS in Scotland and for health services around the world.
“Scotland’s life sciences and healthtech industries deliver life-enhancing benefits to patients, while making an enormous contribution to our economy – the life sciences sector alone contributes almost £10.5 billion annually.
“That is also why we are taking a talented Scottish delegation of healthtech companies to Japan Expo to showcase what Scotland has to offer and to forge new connections that will deliver trade and healthcare opportunities.”
