From European policy to real-world impact
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming scientific research across Europe. According to the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) report “The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Scientific Research” (2025), AI is now a “collaborative partner in knowledge production,” enabling breakthroughs in health, climate and clean technologies.
DREAMS – Drug REpurposing with Artificial intelligence for Muscular disorderS – exemplifies how AI in scientific research can translate European policy into tangible medical and social impact.
AI in scientific research as a European strategy
The JRC report highlights that AI in scientific research is reshaping every step of the scientific process — from hypothesis generation to experiment design and data analysis. To harness its full potential, Europe must invest in:
- Open science and interoperable data, ensuring transparency and reproducibility.
- High-performance computing infrastructure for equitable access.
- AI skills and literacy, connecting data scientists and domain experts.
These principles form the backbone of the European Strategy for AI in Science, which ensures that innovation remains ethical, inclusive and human-centred.
DREAMS: turning AI in scientific research into medical progress
DREAMS applies AI and stem-cell technologies to accelerate the discovery of safe, effective drugs for rare neuromuscular disorders (NMDs).
Its approach combines machine-learning algorithms (the Zepto platform) with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to model and analyse diseases such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Pompe Disease and Centronuclear Myopathy—three of the five NMDs that share common pathological mechanisms related to autophagy and desmin disorganisation.
By leveraging data-driven predictions, DREAMS embodies what the JRC calls the “AI co-scientist” model — using algorithms to identify new hypotheses while ensuring that human expertise, clinical validation and ethical oversight guide every step.
Open science, collaboration and trustworthy AI
In line with the EU’s vision, DREAMS builds on openness, interdisciplinarity and collaboration.
The consortium — coordinated by I-Stem (CECS, France) — unites eight European partners and one Associated Partner from the UK across academia, hospitals, patient organisations and industry.
This reflects the JRC’s call for open infrastructures and reproducible AI — a framework that ensures public trust and scientific integrity. DREAMS’ interoperable datasets, transparent models and adaptive clinical trial design reinforce the principles of the EU AI Act and the Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI.
Ethical AI for inclusive research
The JRC warns that the growing use of AI in science may introduce algorithmic bias or “epistemic drift” if human oversight is lost.
DREAMS mitigates these risks by developing transparent, explainable and clinically informed AI models co-designed with patient organisations and regulatory authorities.
This ensures that AI contributes not only to faster discovery but also to fairer, more inclusive science — rooted in European values of integrity, solidarity and accountability.
European excellence and impact
DREAMS demonstrates that research is not only a technological asset — it is a force for social good.
Its multi-layered impact includes:
- Scientific: creation of a reusable AI- and iPSC-based platform for drug discovery.
- Societal: improved diagnosis, therapeutic options and patient involvement in rare diseases.
- Economic: reduced development costs through drug repurposing and innovative trial design.
By translating EU policy frameworks into practice, DREAMS contributes directly to the Horizon Europe mission of advancing competitiveness through open, ethical and socially responsible innovation.
Conclusion: From strategy to leadership
The European vision for AI in scientific research combines technological excellence with ethical responsibility.
DREAMS turns that vision into action — delivering life-changing benefits while upholding transparency, trust and patient engagement.
By doing so, it strengthens Europe’s position as a global leader in AI-driven, human-centred biomedical innovation.
