Researchers could develop 'AI assistants' for people in South Yorkshire with dementia
£5 million worth of national funding is set to be used to help those living with the condition
Last updated 24th Oct 2025
Researchers have been given £5 million funding to speed up dementia diagnosis and improve quality of life for those living with the condition, including through the development of "AI-powered daily routine assistants".
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) hopes the research challenge funding will mean that by 2029, more than 92% of patients could be diagnosed within 18 weeks of a doctor's referral - up from less than half currently.
Solutions could include "ramping up work on blood tests that spot the build-up of proteins associated with dementia" or "saliva analysis that notices hormone changes at the early stages of a fading memory, or even before symptoms have begun to show", the department said.
Such breakthroughs would mark a shift from traditional tests relying on noticeable signs of decline and could allow early treatment to help manage symptoms and slow progression through lifestyle changes.
DSIT said other solutions could involve the "development of AI-powered daily routine assistants" which work through smart speakers or tablet devices and learn the activities someone enjoys and their cognitive abilities.
The assistants could then help people by "suggesting brain-training exercises, offering reminders for daily tasks, helping with simple cooking instructions or facilitating video calls with family".
One million people in the UK live with dementia and this number is expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040 - with one in four acute hospital beds currently occupied by a person with dementia in England.
The research challenge was announced by Science Minister Lord Vallance on a visit to the UK Dementia Research Institute in Cambridge.
Lord Vallance said: "Few people in the UK will go through life untouched by the impact of dementia - whether through a personal diagnosis or in caring for, or coming to terms with, its effect on a loved one.
"We must therefore grasp the opportunities that science and technology offers in getting people the early and effective diagnosis they need to continue living fulfilled lives while reducing the pressure on hospitals.
"Whether it involves advanced blood tests or home AI tools and much more besides, we're setting a clear, measurable and ambitious target, challenging researchers to drive forward potentially game-changing discoveries to transform the lives of people across our country while building an NHS fit for the future and growing our economy."
Health Minister Dr Zubir Ahmed said: "For too long, our health system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including the one million people living with dementia. This ambitious challenge represents a crucial step forward in our mission to build an NHS fit for the future.
"By harnessing the power of innovation to diagnose dementia faster and more accurately, we can ensure patients and their families get the support they need earlier, when it can make the greatest difference."
DSIT said the Dementia Patient Flow R&I Challenge is the third of five to be announced as part of the Research and Development Missions Accelerator Programme - backed by £500m in the Spending Review.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has also announced £1.2m for two projects accelerating innovation in digital cognitive assessments.
The funding will support Kneu Health, a University of Oxford spinout, in developing smartphone-based cognitive assessment technology that combines digital testing with analysis of biomarkers - molecules in the body which can indicate illness - to enable earlier, more accurate diagnosis of cognitive conditions.
DSIT said the system will allow patients to "complete assessments at home before their clinic appointments, providing doctors with comprehensive profiles that helps to prioritise treatment".
UKRI funding will also support Food for the Brain Foundation's web-based test that assesses four areas of brain function - thinking speed, memory, recognition and decision-making.
Hilary Evans-Newton, chief executive at Alzheimer's Research UK, said the funding was a "welcome boost to UK dementia research".
Ms Evans-Newton added: "Right now, hundreds of thousands of people living with dementia miss out on a diagnosis - and the answers, care and support that one can bring. That's not just a crisis. It's wrong. But innovations like blood tests, digital assessments and retinal scans are offering real hope, and they will soon be here.
"We are in an era of truly exciting science driving new dementia tests and treatments. To make sure people can access them, NHS dementia services must be fit for the future too, backed up by long-term investment and new clinical pathways."
Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation at Alzheimer's Society, said: "It's promising to see the Government taking steps to tackle the deep-rooted challenges in diagnosis.
"By harnessing cutting-edge technology, research and innovation can lead us toward a brighter future where everyone has access to an early and accurate diagnosis and promising new treatments."
Sheffield woman Jeanette Clayton's mum was diagnosed with dementia at 70 - before she passed away last year at the age of 77:
"I think it's a positive step.
"In this day and age, people are a lot more up to date with technology, whereas ten years ago when my mum started with it - she didn't know much about computers - but I think now it would really help with dementia.
"A dementia diagnosis affects the whole family. Investment towards AI could help dementia sufferers a lot. Let's hope they find a cure one day.
"Anything at this moment that can help the NHS will be useful.
"Getting the help is the problem - it's the time that it takes.
"My mum had a long wait - and it did feel like forever in getting her a diagnosis.
"She declined more and more in that time as well, so the help as it isn't sufficient enough - when it's dragged out."