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AI as a booster for life sciences

12. November 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising the field of life sciences and strengthening Austria as a location for research and development. Research institutions such as the Research Centre for Molecular Medicine (CeMM) and the newly founded Research Institute for Biomedical Artificial Intelligence (AITHYRA) are making a significant contribution to this. With its ability to analyse large amounts of data and recognise patterns, AI accelerates processes in drug development, diagnostics and personalised medicine. The close collaboration between research and industry in particular harbours great potential for ground-breaking innovations.

Austria offers an excellent environment for the development of such technologies, supporting this via funding programmes and government initiatives. For example, the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) invests specifically in projects that conduct research on AI for biomedical applications. In turn, this strengthens the link between science and industry and helps to translate research results into practice more quickly.

Current calls for funding

EIT Health, the health knowledge and innovation community of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), has recently launched the new Deep Tech Venture Builder Programme to help turn innovative research projects into successful companies. The ten-month programme offers expert advice, training and up to €60,000 in funding for Phase 1, with the possibility of receiving €150,000 in Phase 2. Submission deadline: 16 December 2024

The aws Digitalisation | AI-Start Green funding programme of Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws) has launched a new call to support companies in the initial implementation of AI projects that contribute to green technologies and sustainability. As part of the call, companies have the opportunity to receive a grant of up to EUR 15,000. Submission deadline: 30 November 2024

One outstanding project is the Research Institute for Biomedical Artificial Intelligence (AITHYRA), which was founded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) and the non-profit Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation (BIS) in Vienna in September 2024. The institute, headed by Anita Ender, is the first of its kind in Europe and aims to bring together the best research approaches from the world of academia, research-based companies and start-ups in Austria and abroad. Michael Bronstein, DeepMind Professor at the University of Oxford, is a superstar of AI research and the founding director. The German Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is funding the institute to the amount of € 150 million, the largest private research grant ever received in Austria.

Innovations for broad application

The CeMM Research Centre for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, which has been operating for almost 20 years, also intensively uses and researches AI applications. Featuring projects that rely on big data and machine learning, among other things, CeMM is working, for example, on solutions to recognise diseases at an early stage and develop targeted therapies. To this end, an international and creative team of scientists and doctors conducts independent basic bioscientific research in a large and lively hospital environment characterised by an excellent medical tradition and practice.

Thanks to such institutes and the support of funding programmes, Austria is on its way to becoming a pioneer in the use of AI in life sciences. This not only strengthens the Austrian research location, but also helps to ensure that life-saving technologies and therapies are developed more quickly and made available for widespread use.