The UK government has awarded almost £16 million in funding to nine healthcare companies working on AI research which could lead to quicker, earlier diagnoses for a range of medical conditions.

The portions of funding have been awarded through the third round of the AI in Health and Care Awards, which focuses on companies accelerating and testing the “most promising” AI technologies.

The winning companies include those working on the development of AI systems which can help detect cancer, diagnose rare diseases, determine women that are at the highest risk of premature birth, and support the treatment of neurological conditions including dementia.

The winners include medical device company Medtronic, which has been rolling out devices and therapies to treat more than 30 chronic diseases, including Parkinson’s and diabetes, with some of their offerings already being trialled by the NHS.

Ibex was awarded around £1.5 million for its continued development of AI-driven algorithms to run checks for breast cancer. The startup’s technology analyses images of tissue extracts which is intended to help pathologists detect cancer and complete diagnoses more quickly.

Digital health start-up Mendelian was awarded £1.4 million to support an AI system which identifies patients with undiagnosed rare diseases and recommends the best management options by analysing electronic health records.

Commenting on the funding, Steve Barclay, health and social care secretary, said: “Artificial intelligence has the potential to speed up diagnoses and treatments and free up time for our doctors and nurses so they can focus on caring for patients.”

He added that 300,000 people have already benefited from companies supported by the AI awards, with “tens of thousands more set to benefit”.

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