Deadline Date: March 03, 2026
The European Commission is advancing the integration of artificial intelligence in healthcare through a targeted initiative that supports the deployment and validation of AI-driven medical imaging solutions to improve patient outcomes and research efficiency.
Accelerate the uptake of EU AI-driven solutions that are ready to be deployed in healthcare settings for patient care and for research purposes. This will facilitate the paradigm shift in the digital transformation of healthcare towards personalised medical solutions. Facilitate the deployment of EU cutting-edge AI-driven solutions in medical imaging, combined with other health data, for increased efficiency and better patient outcomes, leveraging the Cancer Image Europe platform. Further develop the data, testing and validation services and user tools of Cancer Image Europe platform in alignment with the legal and technical framework of the European Health Data Space, also towards supporting the development and uptake of EU cutting-edge multi-modal AI-based solutions in medical imaging (including Deep learning and Generative AI solutions) for healthcare. Conduct multi-centre validation studies of promising medical imaging-based and multi-modal AI solutions for screening, early detection, diagnosis and care, generating evidence for clinical utility and cost effectiveness of tested solutions.
By building on, extending and leveraging the Cancer Image Europe platform, this action is expected to accelerate the uptake of AI-driven solutions in medical imaging, including Machine Learning and Generative AI, and facilitate their deployment in clinical environments. The initiative emphasizes upskilling healthcare professionals, fostering evidence generation, and ensuring active engagement of patients in the digital transformation of medical practice. The total indicative budget for this action is EUR 14,400,000.
The action also aims to upgrade the Cancer Image Europe platform by deploying advanced tools, application programming interfaces (APIs), and interfaces that enable high-quality data services for platform users. These tools will enhance data quality assessment, security, access, and analysis, while supporting AI developers in meeting regulatory compliance under frameworks such as the European Health Data Space Regulation. Furthermore, the initiative will ensure that datasets federated in the Cancer Image Europe platform meet EHDS standards through metadata descriptions using Health DCAT-AP and adherence to the data quality and utility label standards defined by the EHDS Regulation. These measures will create a robust foundation for reliable and interoperable data sharing across healthcare and research domains.
The action also promotes synergy and cross-fertilisation with other European health data infrastructures, including HealthData@EU, 1+Million Genomes, the Intensive Care Unit data infrastructure, the European Virtual Human Twins Initiative, and the UNCAN.eu platform. Collaboration with EU-funded projects such as BigPicture and ongoing AI-related initiatives under the Health Data Access Bodies, the SHAIPED project, and the TEF-Health project will further strengthen data integration and multi-modal AI application across the European health ecosystem.
New data services and user tools for the Cancer Image Europe platform covering data curation, inclusion by data providers, data quality assurance and compliance checks, and risk/security management in alignment with agreed standards, procedures and requirements, including the framework of the European Health Data Space. Multi-centre validation of AI-driven solutions in the field of medical imaging, including evidence generation for clinical utility and cost efficiency. Deployment of multi-modal, cutting-edge AI-driven solutions in the field of medical imaging in healthcare and research settings, leveraging different types of data such as imaging modalities, genomics, laboratory results, and real-world data while building on the achievements of the Cancer Image Europe platform. Training and upskilling of medical imaging personnel and healthcare professionals for the deployed technology and its continued use.
Eligible participants must be legal entities, either public or private bodies, established in one of the eligible countries. These include EU Member States, including overseas countries and territories (OCTs), as well as non-EU countries (except for topics with restrictions), such as listed EEA countries and countries associated with the Digital Europe Programme. Beneficiaries and affiliated entities are required to register in the Participant Register before submitting their proposals and will need to be validated by the Central Validation Service (REA Validation). For validation purposes, applicants must upload documents demonstrating their legal status and origin.
For more information, visit European Commission.
