Applications for the second round of the MHRA AI Airlock programme have opened following a successful pilot phase. The first round saw four breakthrough AI technologies, including software that could help doctors create personalised cancer treatment plans, and a tool to help hospitals, AI developers, and regulators monitor AI performance in real time, tested in a regulatory ‘sandbox’ environment.
Similar to an airlock on a spacecraft, the ‘sandbox’ testing space creates a boundary between experimental AI and fully approved medical technology used in the real world.
This programme is backed by the Government’s new Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO), which is supporting regulators to test more agile, flexible ways of working that can keep pace with emerging technologies like AI.
Results from all four pilot projects will be published later this year, providing valuable insights that will shape the AI Airlock programme moving forward and help inform broader regulatory approaches to the effective and safe use AI in healthcare.
Eligible candidates for the second cohort must demonstrate that their AI-powered medical device has the potential to deliver significant benefits to patients and the NHS, presents a new treatment approach, and offers a regulatory challenge ready to be tested in the Airlock programme.
Applications for cohort two will close on 14 July 2025. You can apply and find guidance here.
