"This award highlights the use of AI to diagnose interstitial lung diseases"
Recognition of the impact of AI on the early diagnosis of lung diseases
The EPID-IA initiative has won the Special Award for Social Projects in the 18th edition of the “Comunicaciones Hoy Awards”, highlighting its contribution to improving the diagnosis and monitoring of interstitial lung diseases through the use of artificial intelligence applied to medical imaging.
This award recognises the social value of a technology capable of helping healthcare professionals to identify complex medical conditions at an earlier stage, which increases diagnostic accuracy and facilitates clinical decision-making.
A pioneering development to anticipate the progression of lung diseases
EPID-IA is a pioneering advance in the field of healthcare, as it is the first system developed in Spain that is capable of simulating the individualised progression of diffuse interstitial lung diseases over a period of one, two or three years.
- The tool applies advanced artificial intelligence algorithms to the analysis of high-resolution computerised tomography images to detect, quantify and visualise damage that may go unnoticed by the human eye.
- Furthermore, the solution includes features for the automatic generation of clinical reports, helping to optimise assessment times and supporting the decision-making process for specialists.
A multidisciplinary collaboration to transform clinical practice
The project has been developed by TECNALIA, in collaboration with Cella Medical Solutions and the San Carlos Clinical Hospital, combining expertise in artificial intelligence, advanced analysis of medical images and specialised clinical expertise.
Bellvitge University Hospital has also been involved in validating the prototype in a real clinical setting, helping to adapt the technology to the needs of patients and healthcare professionals.
Technology for more personalised healthcare
The tool estimates the future progression of these lung diseases, identifying how pulmonary fibrosis progresses so as to facilitate a more personalised approach to treatment and improve patient monitoring from the early stages of the disease.
The prototype was officially handed over to Bellvitge University Hospital in March 2026 at an institutional ceremony chaired by Diana Morant, Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities, marking a further step forward in the transfer of innovative technologies to the healthcare system.
Innovation with a social impact
This award confirms the potential of artificial intelligence to drive more precise, predictive and personalised medicine and highlights the importance of collaboration between technology centres, innovative companies and hospitals to accelerate the introduction of new solutions that improve people’s quality of life and drive the healthcare system of the future.
*Funded via a Pre-commercial Procurement (PCP 03-2024) financed by the CDTI and European NextGenerationEU (RRP) funds.
* SEPI-IA is a Public Procurement of Innovation “Pre-commercial procurement of R&D services for the development of an Interstitial Pulmonary Evolutionary Simulation programme using Artificial Intelligence (SEPI-IA)” funded by CDTI own funds and the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), within the framework of the Spanish Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), funded by the European Union - NextgenerationEU.