The University of Szeged is launching a new international initiative in clinical diagnostic imaging education, supported by HUF 39 million in non-repayable funding. On May 7, 2026, SZTE TTC Zrt. approved funding for the Proof of Concept project “SZTE International Clinical Diagnostic Imaging Education – VM-Edu” (Project ID: TTCPOC010/2025). The grant was awarded under project 2024-2.1.3-POC-2025-00005 through the 2024-2.1.3-POC Proof of Concept call of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office.
The project is supported by non-repayable funding, 90 percent of which comes from Hungary’s National Research, Development and Innovation Fund. The remaining 10 percent is provided by SZTE TTC Zrt., the University’s technology transfer company. Implementation began on May 1, 2026, and the funded professional program will run for 12 months.
Proof-of-concept funding supports activities classified as basic research, helping promising projects progress to the stage where experimental methods can demonstrate the feasibility and potential applications of a concept or theory. It also provides a sound basis for assessing the market potential of the proposed development.
Project objectives
Medical imaging is indispensable to modern diagnostics, but the field is facing growing pressure worldwide. A shortage of qualified professionals is compounded by an aging specialist workforce, while case volumes continue to rise as populations age, screening programs expand, and new imaging technologies become available. Artificial intelligence does not yet offer a complete solution: the limited availability of training data for rare and critical cases constrains its performance, while regulatory requirements – including the EU AI Act – continue to require human validation. Although quality assurance under ISO 15189 is mandatory, the tools currently available to external quality assessment organizations and universities are not capable of supporting personalized and effective competency development on a large scale. This poses a system-wide risk.
The basic research component of the SZTE project addresses a central challenge: how can large volumes of diverse performance data from examinations be converted into meaningful educational insights and used to develop a learning platform integrated with the examination system? More broadly, the project aims to establish a methodological framework that can later be adapted for use in other fields.
The initiative is expected to introduce a much-needed new approach to education and demonstrate its potential at the proof-of-concept stage in an international setting. By building on the University of Szeged’s existing digital diagnostic imaging examination platform and a professional network spanning more than 30 countries, the program lays a strong foundation for an innovation with the potential to scale internationally.
The project was brought to the submission-ready stage through the involvement of SZTE’s Directorate-General for Strategy and Development, together with the support and development expertise of the University’s Center of Excellence for Interdisciplinary Research, Development, and Innovation (IKIKK).
Project ID: TTCPOC010/2025
Professional lead: Dr. István Juhos
Feature photo: Illustration. Source: pexels.com
