“Revolutionise the field of healthcare”: UoM part of a new AI healthcare research group

The university is joining a pioneering research hub, having recieved £12 million from the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) AI Hub for Causality in Healthcare AI with Real Data (CHAI). 

The £12 million funding constitutes part of the government department’s larger, £80 million funding of AI research.

Led by the University of Edinburgh, Manchester is part of a team that also includes University College London, King’s College London, and Exeter University, as well as several domain experts and 50 other world-leading partners. 

The University of Edinburgh, as the leaders, received about £24 million from the EPSRC.

The University of Edinburgh’s Professor Sotirios Tsaftaris is leading the project, and in a statement expressed his “delight” at the opportunity of working with Manchester, among other universities.  

CHAI’s focus is casual AI in healthcare, which is the collection of observational data to explain cause and effect, and will be used to develop new ways in unearthing important links – like early predictions and diagnosis. 

The hub hope, through CHAI, they will better understand critical health challenges such as infection, Alzheimer’s, cancer treatments, social care, diabetes, and rehabilitation.  

Dr Matthew Sperrin, who directs the University of Manchester team, is “pleased” with the focus being on casual AI, because he claims it “aligns with key strengths at the university.”

He also expressed his excitement at the university’s involvement in an ambitious project that will “revolutionise the field of healthcare.”