Our researchers are part of a major new £4.2 million research institute that aims to transform how eye disease and wider health conditions are detected, prevented and treated.
The Northern Ophthalmic Research and Innovation Institute (NORI) brings together university experts, the NHS, local authorities and industry to use routine eye scans to spot early signs of serious illness.
We're supporting the Institute by providing secure computing systems and expert analysis to help researchers safely study large sets of health data and turn findings into real improvements in care.
Our researchers are involved across multiple disciplines including maths, engineering, computer science and sociology.
Turning data into solutions
Designed as a shared research hub, NORI combines existing facilities, expertise and partnerships so that discoveries can be made more quickly and have greater impact.
Durham researchers are leading several key areas of work, including using digital tools and data to improve population health and ensuring that new research is adopted in everyday healthcare settings.
Work will focus on improving patient outcomes, including supporting the development of new treatments and ensuring that successful innovations move from clinics into communities.
Our mathematics and computer sciences researchers will lead on research that uses data and AI to better understand patterns of health and disease.
Powerful tools
Professor Camila Caiado of our Department of Mathematical Sciences is leading Durham's involvement in the project.
She said: "By bringing together expertise in health, data and technology, we can help turn everyday eye checks into powerful tools for early detection and prevention, improving lives across the region and beyond."
NORI will be hosted by the University of Sunderland and will securely link routine eye images with NHS and community health information.
This will help clinicians identify people at higher risk of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, dementia and stroke.
This approach is especially important in North East England where people are more likely to experience long-term illness and to be diagnosed later.
Working together
NORI is being created in partnership with the University of Sunderland, Sunderland City Council and South Tyneside Council.
It also involves Newcastle University, the vision loss charity Fight for Sight, and a wide network of health, policy and industry partners.
Work is now underway ahead of NORI's formal launch in summer 2026, aligned with the opening of the new Eye Hospital in Sunderland.
