AIBILI ASSOCIACAO PARA INVESTIGACAO BIOMEDICA E INNOVACAO EM LUZ E IMAGEM

Their core work

AIBILI is a Portuguese research centre based in Coimbra specializing in biomedical research related to light, imaging, and vision. They focus on ophthalmic conditions — particularly age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy — developing and validating clinical endpoints through retinal imaging and functional testing. Their work bridges ophthalmology and neurodegenerative disease research, investigating shared pathways between diabetic eye disease and cognitive decline conditions like Alzheimer's and dementia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

With only three projects spanning 2017–2024, AIBILI's evolution is more of a deepening than a shift. Their earliest involvement (PedCRIN, 2017) was a third-party role in clinical research infrastructure, while their substantive work concentrated on ophthalmic imaging and clinical validation (MACUSTAR, 2017). By 2020, their entry into RECOGNISED signals a deliberate expansion from pure ophthalmology into the intersection of eye disease and neurodegeneration — connecting retinal biomarkers with cognitive decline in diabetes patients.

AIBILI is moving toward using retinal imaging as a diagnostic window into systemic and neurodegenerative diseases, not just eye conditions — a growing field with significant clinical and commercial potential.

How they like to work

AIBILI operates exclusively as a participant or third party — they have not coordinated any H2020 projects. Despite this supporting role, they work within large international consortia, having collaborated with 59 unique partners across 20 countries. This suggests they are valued for their specialized imaging and clinical expertise rather than for project management, making them a reliable technical contributor to bring into large multi-partner efforts.

AIBILI has built a broad European network spanning 59 partners across 20 countries, primarily through large health research consortia. Their connections are geographically diverse, reflecting the pan-European nature of ophthalmic and diabetes research communities.

What sets them apart

AIBILI sits at the rare intersection of ophthalmic imaging and neurodegenerative disease research — using the eye as a window to study brain-related conditions. Based in Coimbra alongside one of Portugal's top medical universities, they bring clinical validation expertise that is hard to replicate. For consortium builders needing a partner who can deliver retinal biomarker data linked to cognitive and metabolic outcomes, AIBILI fills a specific niche.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MACUSTAR
  Their largest funded project (EUR 833,968), focused on developing validated clinical endpoints for intermediate age-related macular degeneration — a condition with no approved treatment and high unmet need.
• RECOGNISED
  Bridges ophthalmology and neuroscience by investigating shared pathways between diabetic retinopathy and Alzheimer's disease — a scientifically ambitious cross-disciplinary effort.