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MammoCheck Secures A €500,000 SEED Grant From The RIF To Advance Toward FDA 510(k) Clearance And EU MDR CE Marking

MammoCheck RIF Grant Signed

The project is co-funded by the European Union and the Republic of Cyprus under the Cohesion Policy Programme THALIA 2021–2027. Frederick Research Center is participating as a partner organisation, continuing the company’s roots as a spin-out of Frederick University.

NICOSIA, CYPRUS, July 31, 2026. MammoCheck Ltd, a Cyprus-based medical technology company founded as a spin-out of Frederick University, has secured a €500,000 grant under the Research and Innovation Foundation’s (RIF) SEED programme.

The competitive grant will support the continued development of the company’s adjunctive, research-validated software platform, which combines thermal imaging with artificial intelligence to support breast cancer screening. More specifically, the funding will support the clinical, quality management and regulatory work required as the company advances toward FDA 510(k) clearance in the United States and CE marking under the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR 2017/745).

The RIF’s SEED programme supports innovative Cypriot start-ups developing internationally competitive products and services. It is co-funded by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus under the Cohesion Policy Programme THALIA 2021–2027.

For MammoCheck, the funding will support completion of its clinical programme, further development of its quality management system in line with ISO 13485, and preparation of the technical documentation and submissions required for the FDA and EU MDR regulatory pathways.

About MammoCheck

MammoCheck is developing a Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) platform that combines a smartphone application, thermal imaging and a proprietary artificial intelligence algorithm to support breast cancer screening.

Founded in 2024 as a spin-out of Frederick University, the company aims to address unequal access to screening. Mammography coverage remains highly uneven worldwide and has been reported as low as 1.7% in some countries, including among many women under the age of 45 who fall outside most national screening programmes.

The platform is being developed for use in primary care and gynaecology settings, as well as for guided home use, with every result reviewed by a clinician. It is intended to complement, rather than replace, established imaging modalities such as mammography and ultrasound.

MammoCheck is currently conducting a clinical study across hospital sites in Cyprus, approved by the Cyprus National Bioethics Committee.

The Role Of Frederick University

Frederick University continues to support the initiative as the institution from which MammoCheck originated. The collaboration also continues through the participation of the Frederick Research Center as a partner organisation in the funded project.

The centre contributes specialised expertise and infrastructure through its Nursing Department and the Mobile Devices Laboratory, focusing on artificial intelligence, smart systems and scientific dissemination. The collaboration strengthens the connection between Cypriot academic research and internationally oriented innovation.

The Frederick team supporting the project includes Dr. Andreas Constantinides, Associate Professor and Director of the Mobile Devices Laboratory, Dr. Evanthia Asimakopoulou, Assistant Professor in the Nursing Department, and Dr. Elena Papoui, Visiting Lecturer in the Nursing Department.

What The Grant Means

The award adds to a period of continued momentum for the company. Alongside its clinical and regulatory progress, MammoCheck is conducting a private investment round to accelerate commercial deployment as it advances toward key regulatory milestones.

The company also holds a Certificate of Innovative Enterprise from the Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, allowing eligible investors participating in the funding round to benefit from tax incentives under Cyprus’ innovation investment legislation.

Statements

“Securing €500,000 in competitive, non-dilutive funding is a strong vote of confidence in our vision, our team and our mission. It allows us to focus on what truly matters right now, turning that vision into reality, step by step, as we move steadily toward FDA 510(k) clearance and CE marking under the EU MDR,” said Alexandra Dimitriadou, Co-Founder and CEO of MammoCheck.

Athina Grigoriou, Co-Founder and CRO, added: “Our clinical programme is at the heart of this project. This support strengthens the study we are conducting across hospital sites in Cyprus and the evidence base behind every step of our regulatory pathway.”

Marios Pafitis, Co-Founder and CTO, said: “Working alongside the Frederick Research Center brings academic rigour to our engineering. This grant helps us take the technology from promising research toward a rigorously engineered and clinically validated product.”

The MammoCheck co-founding team, Alexandra Dimitriadou, Marios Pafitis and Athina Grigoriou, was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Greece list in 2026.

The MAMMOCHECK project (SEED/0525(B)/0102) is implemented under the Cohesion Policy Programme THALIA 2021–2027 and is co-funded by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus via the Research and Innovation Foundation.

A New Twitter-Inspired Social Network Is Taking Shape

A new social network called Twitter.now is entering the market, with a founding team that includes former Twitter trademark counsel Stephen Coates. The service is being developed by startup Operation Bluebird.

As Ars Technica reported, X sued the company last year and asked a Delaware judge to block the launch. Operation Bluebird argued in a petition that X had abandoned trademarks including “Twitter” and “Tweet.”

Coates has said the project is not an attempt to recreate the original Twitter. In a LinkedIn post, he described the platform as a new public space focused on trust, transparency and user choice.

AI System To Rate Posts

Twitter.now is currently being tested, with early access priced at $20. Its main feature is VERA, an AI system designed to evaluate posts, verify claims and provide sources and context.

Posts receive a trust score, with users eventually able to set a minimum score to filter their feeds. The company says this approach will give people more control over what they see instead of leaving those decisions entirely to an algorithm.

Moderation Remains A Challenge

Scaling moderation will be one of the platform’s biggest tests. Social networks have repeatedly struggled with content moderation as their communities grow, and newer platforms such as Bluesky have faced similar criticism.

Operation Bluebird says VERA will form the basis of its moderation and verification system. A second version is already planned, with expanded tools that would let users set a specific trust threshold for the posts appearing in their feeds.

For now, Twitter.now remains in an early testing phase, combining the familiarity of the Twitter name with an AI-driven approach to evaluating online information.

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