£80m Challenge for Faster, Better Dementia Diagnosis Launched

Nine new technologies, including faster MRI brain scans and a remote cognitive assessment, are to be tested in the NHS as part of a government drive to diagnose dementia more quickly.

The Dementia Challenge is backed by up to £80 million and funded by the UK government through UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Research and Development Missions Accelerator Programme (R&D MAP). Its goal is for 92% of people to be diagnosed within 18 weeks of referral. Around 60% are currently diagnosed within that timeframe, and in many cases diagnosis takes more than a year.

Funding tied to results

The nine projects have been selected for real-world testing in the NHS. Only those that prove they work will go on to receive further funding, so that money goes where it makes the biggest difference to patients.

UKRI describes this as a “fail-fast” approach, a move away from its traditional model of awarding single grants for longer-term projects. Projects must reach milestones to keep their funding. The aim is to deliver results quickly and to get what works to patients sooner.

Early diagnosis can reduce the likelihood of emergency hospital admissions and delay the need for greater care support, easing pressure on NHS services. It can also allow patients to start treatment sooner and make informed decisions about work, care, finances and family life.

Why dementia

UKRI says dementia is the first condition the R&D MAP’s Health Mission is focusing on. More people die as a consequence of dementia than of any other disease in the UK, accounting for almost one in eight deaths. In 2025, more than 72,000 people across the UK died from dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr Richard Oakley, Associate Director of Research and Innovation at Alzheimer’s Society, said that at any one time one in three people living with dementia in the UK do not have a diagnosis. This means they are missing out on treatment, support and the chance to take part in research.

The nine projects

• University College London and UK Dementia Research Institute: reducing diagnostic MRI scan times from around 20 minutes to around seven, giving more patients access to scans, cutting costs and improving the patient experience.
• University of Exeter: integrating a digital platform into the NHS that lets people monitor changes in their cognitive health and be seen at the right time.
• UK Dementia Research Institute Care Research & Technology Centre, Imperial College London: developing Minder, a home-monitoring platform that uses unobtrusive sensors and linked artificial intelligence to support earlier intervention, personalised care and proactive management.
• University of Oxford and Dementias Platform UK: bringing a panel of blood-based dementia biomarkers, validated in the Blood Biomarker Challenge-funded READ-OUT study, into routine NHS memory services to improve diagnostic accuracy.
• Cognitron: using a 15-minute remote digital cognitive assessment to improve the speed, accuracy and accessibility of diagnosis.
• University of Bristol: introducing routine sleep apnoea screening, and improved access to treatment, for everyone referred to memory assessment services, to improve the accuracy of diagnoses.
• Queen Mary University of London: supporting earlier detection and monitoring through a digital tool that assesses how the brain processes sound, using a standard home computer and headphones.
• University of Cambridge: developing an AI-enabled clinical decision support tool that analyses routinely collected data, including medical records, blood tests and cognitive tests, to predict progression in people at risk of dementia.
• University of Edinburgh and NHS Research Scotland: redesigning Scotland’s dementia diagnosis and treatment services to deliver faster, more consistent diagnosis, with “living labs” to test new biomarkers and treatments.

UKRI is delivering the challenge in partnership with industry, academia, the NHS, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the Health Innovation Network, the third sector and people with lived experience of dementia.

Reaction

Science Minister Chris McDonald said: “Dementia is a desperately cruel condition, robbing sufferers of their memories and family of precious time with their loved ones.” He added that the government was backing projects that could spot the signs earlier, such as tests looking at how people process sounds and speech to identify changes in the brain.

Minister of State for Health Karin Smyth said timely diagnosis helps people manage their symptoms and access support sooner, adding: “Dementia has been neglected for far too long.”

Andy Hill, UKRI Health Mission Challenge Director, said better diagnostic and prognostic tools would help people living with dementia understand and manage their symptoms, get earlier access to treatment and plan for their futures, with benefits for families and carers too.

Hilary Evans-Newton CBE, Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK and Chair of the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals Programme, said: “Too many families wait more than a year for a dementia diagnosis.” She noted that faster, accurate diagnosis is also essential because new medicines work best early in the disease.

Dr Oakley said the challenge “could be a game changer”, but called on the government to match its ambition by introducing a national 18-week target from referral to diagnosis.

Henry Simmons, Chief Executive of Alzheimer Scotland, welcomed Scotland’s role through the Edinburgh and NHS Research Scotland project. Andrew Walsh, Associate Director of NICE Advice, said the projects would be tested in the NHS in England and the devolved nations, and that NICE looked forward to helping them develop their evidence generation strategies.

Thomas, from Dorset, who has personal experience of dementia and supported the challenge’s application process, said long waits for diagnosis take away valuable time to seek support, make medical choices and address legal matters.