Industry engagement

At the CHAI Hub, we complement, de-risk, and accelerate healthcare R&D pipelines.

Our partnerships unlock direct access to subject-matter expertise for partners to align their market needs. We build strong bridges between academia and industry by prioritizing clear communication, transparent expectation management, and continuous feedback loops.

Scroll down to see our 3-part value proposition to industry:

1. Accelerate innovation and de-risk R&D

You can utilize our expertise and resources to focus on your market needs in many ways:

  • Strategic partnership – become a key CHAI strategic partner for long-term collaborative projects

  • Bespoke research – outsource your research to our CHAI experts

  • Studentships – fully-fund students to tackle your challenges

  • Part-studentships – part-fund students to tackle your challenges

  • Internships – host our talent at your organisation to grow your pipeline

  • Knowledge transfer projects – send your researchers to work with us

  • Event attendance – attract talent and learn how causal AI can help you

Focus on your fundamental challenges

AI regulation is consistently demanding higher standards. Collaborating with the CHAI Hub strengthens your validity to regulators and funders. Academia tests and neutrally peer-reviews AI models on real patient data under expert supervision, reducing the risk of developing ineffective or unsafe solutions. This proves our adherence to the UK's National AI strategy.

Complement your internal strategies   

De-risk your pipeline  

Outsourcing your research can improve your return on investment. We offer more affordable access to expertise in joint commercialization endeavors. Collaborating with the CHAI Hub spreads out your risk of missing out on breakthrough technologies.

2. Access world-leading interdisciplinary expertise

We facilitate a smooth pathway to subject matter experts across the University of Edinburgh, UCL, the University of Manchester, the University of Exeter, KCL, and Imperial College London. Collaborating with the CHAI Hub allows you access to prestigious engineering, informatics, electronics, robotics, and medical resources.

Harness academic resources

Our Hub is proudly based in Edinburgh, a city renowned as one of the first and most influential centers for AI research since the 1960s. This historic dedication to AI has continued to attract and retain talent, growing an ecosystem of researchers and entrepreneurs across our close friends at the Bayes Centre, Edinburgh Innovations, and the Futures Institute.

Alongside our partnered universities, we have a talent pool of >5,500 untapped students specialized in AI who are ready to step into your problem space.

Embed in the ecosystem

Our causal AI research uses datasets from CPRD, HES, UK Biobank, SAIL Databank, DataLoch, and NHS SafeHavens. Collaborating with the CHAI Hub allows you to direct research towards your market need that is powered by large, validated datasets.

Draw on real-world datasets

3. Advance your competitive edge

Create tangible industry impacts

Investing in innovation drives real-world industry transformation. Endorsed by 50 industry partners, members of the CHAI Hub have already demonstrated successful academia-industry partnerships for impact in the healthcare landscape.

See below demonstrations of our network’s capabilities:

  • PhD studentships with Canon Medical Research Europe Ltd.

    The University of Edinburgh welcomes two PhD students to the CHAI Hub in September 2025. Funded by Canon Medical Research Europe Ltd., these two students will be researching the use of causal AI in medical imagery.

  • CHAI co-lead heads machine-learning research at Kherion Medical Technologies Ltd.

    Kherion Medical Technologies Ltd. (now part of Deephealth from RadNet) is collaborating with CHAI’s co-lead at Imperial College London. Together, they are working to improve machine learning-driven cancer radiology diagnostics. 

  • Product prototype pilot with Evergreen Life Ltd.

    The University of Manchester is pilot-testing their cardiovascular risk calculation AI with Evergreen Life Ltd. This work is based on their CHARIOT work, a tool embedded within patient-facing health records.

  • Blackford Analysis

    Blackford Analysis Ltd. spins out into industry

    Edinburgh Innovations Ltd. (commercialization service partner) helped Blackford Analysis to secure funding, negotiate IP, and network with industry to spin out The University of Edinburgh in 2010 until acquisition by Bayer plc. in 2023. 

  • Collaborative research agreement secured

    HeartFlow, inc. and Imperial College London announced their strategic partnership in 2018. From funding students to sending their researchers to work in Imperial, HeartFlow is advancing cardiovascular medical imaging with deep learning techniques. 

  • NEURii, dementia

    NEURii collaboration project for dementia

    Eisai (Gates Ventures), Health Data Research UK, LifeArc, and The University of Edinburgh announced their collaboration in June 2023. They are using high-quality neurology data and AI to create innovative digital solutions in dementia.

  • cancer research

    Entrepreneurial researcher wins Early Detection and Diagnosis Primer Award

    Dr Qiang Wang was nominated for a Cancer Research Horizons award in March 2024 and won their additional funding to develop his technology for applying artificial intelligence to lung cancer diagnosis at The University of Edinburgh.