We are delighted to be a partner in ONEHEALTH, a new €10m collaborative research project launched recently at an event in Belfast.
HIRANI Innovation Cluster Manager, Dr Sean O’Connor said: “The themes that emerged during the recent launch event reflect the strategic direction and priorities we see across the ecosystem. As a cluster organisation for life and health sciences, our role is to connect companies with researchers, align innovation with health system needs and build partnerships and structures that persist long after individual projects conclude. ONEHEALTH includes an accelerator programme and cross-border research collaborations which together, offer a clear framework in which innovation can progress quickly, coherently and with a line of sight to real-world impact.
“Health challenges rarely sit neatly within one system. ONEHEALTH is exciting because it represents something that has rarely been attempted at such scale: a fully cross-sector, cross-border approach built around challenges that cannot be solved by staying within organisational or regional boundaries. From a cluster perspective, real value emerges when capability is pooled and when data, infrastructure, talent and problem-solving capacity can move between partners rather than remaining siloed.
“Artificial intelligence in healthcare is not new. AI-driven decision-support tools have been used quietly for decades but the landscape is now different. For example, early AI research, using neural-network models for cardiac risk, describes these systems as a “robot butler”, an assistant offering advice, but developments have now moved beyond this, with national-scale deep-learning models being used for prediction of cardiac events, heart-failure trajectories and sudden cardiac death using multimodal data from population level data 1,2. What is emerging is not innovation at the periphery of care, but infrastructure and tools that can operate across clinical, environmental and population systems.
“These shifts are mirrored here with ONEHEALTH. There are complementary, cross-border strengths in diagnostics, MedTech, advanced manufacturing, data infrastructure and population health research here. When these assets are aligned through a programme like ONEHEALTH, commercialisation can accelerate. SMEs can access testbeds and regulatory expertise, and a clearer market narrative can emerge for investors who expect cross-jurisdiction scalability.
“For HIRANI, ONEHEALTH is about creating platforms that reset how innovation flows into the health and care system. The programme can help ensure that learning actively feeds back into service transformation, to reducing variation and attracting inward investment into a life and health sciences ecosystem that is already demonstrating global potential.
“The real success of ONEHEALTH will be visible ten years from now when regions become living testbeds for integrated, ethical, AI-enabled innovation. Smaller “proof of concept” projects can begin to reshape care by building the pipelines, norms and expectations through which future AI models will operate. Jobs can move towards more fluid, cross-border and high value clusters in areas such as applied AI engineering, regulatory expertise, evidence generation, digital diagnostics and deployable sensor technologies that support population, environmental and agricultural health.
“At a population level, earlier detection, precision monitoring and better prediction of system stresses can become routine parts of care. Ultimately, ONEHEALTH aligns with the HSC Reset Plan and the UK 10-Year Health Plan. Care can become organised around neighbourhood models where general practice, community pharmacy, social care, voluntary organisations and digital services operate as integrated teams. People can engage with their own care through digital tools that reflect the ambition of tools like the “My Care” App, supported by AI triage tools, remote monitoring and self-management platforms.
“The wider outlook is that ONEHEALTH positions the region as somewhere innovation is not only generated, but where it can be tested safely, ethically and at pace. That identity strengthens economic resilience, accelerates inward investment and helps create a position where human, animal and environmental health are advanced together through an active, collaborative all-island innovation system.”
The project, which is supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), has received funding of €9,852,752 and will be led by Catalyst, in partnership with Atlantic Technology University (ATU), Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), Health Innovation Research Alliance Northern Ireland (HIRANI), Tyndall National Institute Cork and the University of Galway.
Aiming to address some of the most critical public health challenges over the next four years, ONEHEALTH is a cross-border life and health sciences partnership that will use pioneering artificial intelligence and digital health approaches to tackle pressing health and agrifood challenges by recognising the vital connections between human, animal, and environmental health. This holistic approach to connecting data intelligence, academic expertise and local industries’ know-how, in a concerted joint effort, is an incredibly exciting opportunity that will be unique at this scale.
The launch event was addressed by Dr Rob Grundy, Catalyst’s Director of Innovation Partnerships. It continued with video messages from Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLA and the Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Niamh Smyth TD, remarks from Gina McIntyre, Chief Executive of the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) and a speech from Catalyst CEO Steve Orr.
Attendees then heard from all ONHEALTH partners through a panel discussion led by Catalyst’s Head of Collaborative Research & Development, Katrina Kilkenny. The panel explored both the exciting opportunities the project has revealed and the common challenges such as fragmented health data, limited collaboration between research bodies and SMEs, and a shortage of scalable solutions for complex health issues were considered and debated.
Through strategic investments in research and innovation, ONEHEALTH’s ultimate vision is to create lasting improvements in health and economic resilience by significantly enhancing cross-border research collaboration between Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. Key targets for the project’s four-year timeline include:
- Delivery of 12 cross-border research and innovation projects.
- Assisting 20 SMEs in developing new products or processes.
- Providing structured mentorship and support to 20 additional SMEs through dedicated accelerator programmes.
- Producing 20 significant joint publications, industry white papers, or patents resulting from cross-border collaborations.
Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald said: “I want to congratulate all partners on the launch of ONEHEALTH. This dynamic collaboration is positioning the north as a leader in health and agri-food innovation, delivering cutting-edge digital and AI-driven solutions. ONEHEALTH reflects the ambition set out in my Department’s Life and Health Sciences and Agri-Tech Action Plans. Partnering with key research and innovation organisations to support SMEs, this investment will strengthen our cross-border innovation ecosystem, address critical health and agri-food challenges, and enable SMEs to create new products and processes that enhance health outcomes and drive economic growth.”
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke TD said: “The launch of the ONEHEALTH project represents a significant step forward in fostering cross-border collaboration and innovation. I welcome the project’s close alignment with Ireland’s strategic priorities under the National AI Strategy and our Research and Innovation Strategy. By harnessing cutting-edge AI technologies and bringing together expertise from academia, industry, and research bodies, this initiative will help address critical health and agrifood challenges while driving economic growth. The partnership exemplifies how cooperation between Northern Ireland and the border counties can deliver real benefits for our people, our environment and our shared future.”
SEUPB Chief Executive Gina McIntyre said: “Funded through the PEACEPLUS Innovation Challenge Fund, ONEHEALTH reflects the vision we share for a healthier, more resilient, and more prosperous future for the citizens of Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. This innovative cross-border research project sets out to harness the power of innovation and strengthen the ties that bind communities, researchers and enterprises across the island of Ireland. This comes at a critical time. We are living in a world that is more connected but also more vulnerable to climate change, emerging diseases, economic shocks and societal divisions. Economic development in any post-conflict region is essential for building and sustaining peace. ONEHEALTH is a demonstration of how targeted investment in this area supporting innovation can deliver tangible benefits for health, the environment and the economy.”
Dr Rob Grundy, Director of Innovation Partnerships, Catalyst said: “We are proud to lead ONEHEALTH, a project that represents a transformative step in how we approach public health challenges. By connecting expertise across borders and harnessing the power of AI, we will create real tangible, lasting improvements which will benefit generations. This collaboration will not only drive innovation but also create real-world impact for communities and businesses, strengthening our shared health and economic resilience.”
