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Home > News > EWUU Artificial Intelligence seed fund leads to major NWO ELSA Lab grant on ethical AI in healthcare

EWUU Artificial Intelligence is proud to announce that one of its seed-funded projects has successfully grown into a major research initiative supported by the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

Each year, the EWUU provides seed funding to stimulate collaborative AI research between its partner institutions: TU Eindhoven, Wageningen University & Research, Utrecht University, and UMC Utrecht. One of these seed-funded projects focused on the ethical aspects of AI in healthcare, and this early support laid the foundation for a larger proposal that has now been awarded funding as part of NWO’s ELSA Lab program.

The project, Value Alignment in Medical AI (VAMAI), aims to ensure that medical AI systems are valuable, trustworthy, and human-centered. While safety is essential, AI must also align with human values to be truly beneficial in clinical practice. VAMAI will explore whose values are considered and why, developing practical guidance for inclusive and patient-driven AI in healthcare.

The project is led by Karin Jongsma (UMC Utrecht) and involves collaboration with EWUU partners:

  • Panos Markopoulos (TU Eindhoven)
  • Leendert van Maanen (Utrecht University)
  • Baptist Liefooghe (Utrecht University)
  • Geert Frederix (UMC Utrecht/HAN University of Applied Sciences)
  • Megan Milota (UMC Utrecht)
  • Roland Bertens (UMC Utrecht)
  • Panos Markopoulos (TU Eindhoven)
  • Martijn Willemsen (TU Eindhoven)

In addition, other co-funders and cooperation partners are involved, strengthening the project’s interdisciplinary and practical impact across healthcare, research, and industry.

ELSA Labs – short for Ethical, Legal, and Societal Aspects – focus on the responsible development and application of AI. They translate broad ethical and legal frameworks into practical guidance for specific real-world applications, addressing societal challenges through co-creation and citizen participation. Insights from these labs contribute to policy, legislation, and guidance for AI developers and users.

The VAMAI ELSA Lab has been awarded a total budget of €2.3 million, marking an important step forward in ensuring that medical AI benefits patients and healthcare professionals in an ethically responsible way.

We are very proud of this achievement and look forward to the positive impact this project will have on the responsible use of AI in healthcare.

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