UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced its ‘Dementia Challenge’ programme that seeks to test a range of dementia-related diagnostic projects and innovations on the National Health Service (NHS).
Backed by up to £80m ($105.7m), the programme’s goal is for 92% of people to be diagnosed within 18 weeks of a referral, up from around 60% today, with diagnosis often taking more than a year.
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In meeting this aim, UKRI has chosen nine projects with innovations designed to meet this objective. The UK government-backed public body highlighted that its initiative is adopting a ‘fail-fast’ approach, meaning that the projects that have been selected for participation need to achieve results and reach milestones to receive funding, so only those showing real promise continue to receive support.
This is a move away from UKRI’s traditional model of awarding single grants for longer-term projects, with the aim is to ensure results and impacts are delivered quickly, and the highest-potential projects get ongoing support, UKRI stated.
Projects that have been chosen to move into real-world testing of their offerings in the NHS include University College London and the UK Dementia Research Institute initiative. The pair are looking at reducing MRI scan times from around 20 minutes to around seven minutes, with the overall aim to give more patients access to diagnostic MRI scans, reduce costs, and improve patient experience.
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London are aiming to support earlier dementia detection and monitoring by assessing how the brain processes sound via a digital diagnostic tool using a standard home computer and headphones.
Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Cambridge are working to improve how dementia is diagnosed and treated using an artificial intelligence (AI)-based clinical decision support tool. The tool analyses routinely collected data such as medical records and cognitive tests to predict progression for people at risk of dementia.
UKRI health mission challenge director Andy Hill said: “By developing better diagnostic and prognostic tools, we can help people living with dementia understand and manage their symptoms, get earlier access to treatment and plan for their futures.”
More people die as a consequence of dementia than any other disease in the UK, accounting for almost one in eight deaths, as per Alzheimer’s Research UK. In 2025, over 72,000 people across the UK died from dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Commenting on UKRI’s programme, Hilary Evans-Newton, CEO of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Too many families wait more than a year for a dementia diagnosis. This is about changing that, and fast.
“By testing new technologies and backing only those that work, we can get the best innovations into the NHS far sooner.”
