Florence County university awarded $400,000 in AI healthcare investment

FLORENCE COUNTY, SC (WMBF) - Researchers and students at Francis Marion University may help form what the future of modern medicine looks like.

The university says they were awarded $416,800 from the National Science Foundation. The money is part of the foundation’s $20 million statewide investment to advance health care with AI.

The project will be led by Clemson University, with multiple colleges and institutions, including FMU, partnering, according to the foundation’s website.

With the money, FMU says they will establish the FMU AI Research Group. The group will be made up of faculty and student researchers.

The goal will be to advance AI-enabled medical devices and to train the future healthcare workforce to use the technology.

“The funding granted to FMU will promote interdisciplinary research between mathematics, mechanical engineering, and psychology, where students are at the center of the research,” the university stated in a news release. “FMU will provide up to 30 students with research experiences developing and applying artificial intelligence and machine learning.”

Officials say they hope the project transforms healthcare in South Carolina, partially in underserved areas.

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