A startup founded on research from the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh has won the UKRI / Innovate UK “Agentic AI Pioneers Prize”, securing both the Life Sciences category award and the overall Grand Prize. Danu Insights, founded in 2024 by Professor Chris Lucas and Dr Stefan Bostock, is developing AI technologies to transform how new biotechnologies are discovered and brought to market.Professor Lucas is a Reader in Computational Cognitive Science at the School of Informatics, whose research focuses on machine learning, causal inference, and optimal experimental design — exploring how humans and machines learn and make decisions. This work underpins the company’s core approach to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of scientific discovery.Dr Bostock brings a complementary background in translating research into practice, with experience across biotechnology, AI and startups. Professor Chris Lucas (left) and Dr Stefan Bostock (right), co‑founders of Danu Insights. Together, the founders identified a shared challenge: that life sciences research is often slow, costly and failure‑prone, despite its importance in addressing global issues such as disease and climate change. Danu Insights was established to rethink this process, combining advances in AI and statistical modelling to make experimental research more efficient and reliable.The company builds on foundational research from Informatics, with its technical team including researchers and graduates from the University of Edinburgh. Accelerating life sciences discovery Danu Insights’ winning innovation is an AI‑driven “Digital Twin Builder” for life sciences research and development.The platform combines machine learning, statistical modelling, and domain knowledge to design more effective experiments, helping researchers to:identify the most informative next steps in complex experimentsreduce uncertainty in decision-makingoptimise time, cost, and resourcesaccelerate progress from early-stage discovery to real-world applicationBy improving how experiments are designed and interpreted, the technology aims to address long‑standing challenges in life sciences R&D, where progress is often slow, costly, and uncertain. The Agentic AI Pioneers Prize The Agentic AI Pioneers Prize, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Innovate UK, recognises innovative applications of advanced AI across key sectors including health and life sciences.The competition attracted around 300 applicants from across the UK, with Danu Insights selected as both the Life Sciences winner and the overall Grand Prize recipient.As part of the award, the company receives funding and support to further develop and deploy its technology in real‑world settings. Related links Find out more about Danu Insights Professor Chris Lucas on GitHub The Agentic AI Pioneers Prize Publication date 13 May, 2026
