UCD-led AI healthcare project secures €9.1m in funding
10 December 2025
AINM, an AI healthcare project led by UCD, has been awarded €9.1 million under the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF).
Led by (opens in a new window)Professor Peter Doran at the UCD Clinical Research Centre (CRC), AINM aims to transform health services with hospital-ready AI-based decision support solutions.
Collaborators on the project include Dell Technologies and Microsoft, as well as two NovaUCD-headquartered companies, (opens in a new window)Oblivious Software Limited and (opens in a new window)xWave Technologies.
“This is a real endorsement of the direction set out in the UCD CRC strategy and our ambition to be a leading centre for clinical and translational research at the cutting edge of technological development,” said Professor Doran of the funding.
“AINM gives us a significant opportunity to turn that ambition into real-world progress, using key-enabling technologies to support the kind of clinical research that genuinely changes practice.
“Creating secure, federated infrastructure where we can build and test clinical decision support systems, while protecting patient privacy, is a major step forward for Ireland’s digital health ecosystem.”
“Access to high quality health data and real world clinical validation is essential for any Irish company developing safe and effective AI for healthcare,” said Mitchell O’Gorman, CEO of xWave Technologies, which develops AI-powered digital health platforms.
“DTIF gives innovators like xWave the environment we need to build clinically trusted, globally deployable solutions.”
Other UCD researchers involved with the project include:
- (opens in a new window)Dr Brian MacNamee, UCD School of Computer Science
- (opens in a new window)Professor Patricia Maguire, UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science
- (opens in a new window)Professor Brian Caulfield, UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science
- Dr Ronan Kileen, UCD School of Medicine
- (opens in a new window)Professor Michela Bertolotto, UCD School of Computer Science
The DTIF is a €500 million fund managed by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, with administrative support from Enterprise Ireland.
Its purpose is to support investment in the development and deployment of disruptive technologies and applications on a commercial basis. The AINM project received the highest award of the seven projects most recently funded.
In addition to the AINM project, UCD is also partnering in the PIONEER project, which has secured €7.2 million under the DTIF.
PIONEER studies diseases and the immune system, using advanced screening tools and a method called electroporation to improve treatments. The UCD lead for the project is Dr Niall Mulligan, Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor at the UCD School of Medicine.
By: Rebecca Hastings, Digital Journalist, UCD University Relations
To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie
