INFANT

What INFANT does

INFANT (the Irish Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research) is a university-hosted research centre established in 2013 at University College Cork in Cork, Ireland. Its core function is to investigate maternal, neonatal, and early-childhood health across three research themes—pregnancy, newborn, and child health—with the explicit goal of translating research findings into clinical interventions, devices, and public-health policy. It serves pregnant women, newborns, children up to adolescence, and clinically engaged health systems through clinical trials, longitudinal cohorts (notably the BASELINE birth cohort), and its hosted national paediatric trials network (in4kids).

The centre's technical platform combines multi-omics analysis (proteomics, metabolomics), EEG-based brain monitoring, biomarker discovery, machine-learning predictive models, and digital-health infrastructure. Operationally important AI artefacts include the ANSeR algorithm for neonatal seizure detection, the Wave AI newborn brain-function assessment device (commercialised by spin-out CergenX, FDA Breakthrough Device Designation 2024), the Luna wireless brain monitor (commercialised by spin-out NeuroBell), the tablet-based CogniToT cognitive assessment, and the Newborn Brain Test (NBT) platform developed with Evervault. Cognitive assessment research (AIM-HIGH, SOPHIE) and cell-therapy development through the CanVas consortium (€10.7M DTIF, 2025) extend the platform's surface from diagnostics into prognosis and therapeutics.

INFANT's business model is that of an academic research centre rather than a commercial vendor. Operating income is dominated by competitive research grants from Research Ireland, the Health Research Board, Enterprise Ireland, the Disruptive Technology Innovation Fund, the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, the Children's Health Foundation, the Gates Foundation, and EU Horizon programmes. Commercial value capture is routed through jointly controlled spin-outs—CergenX and NeuroBell—which license INFANT-derived IP, raise independent capital, and sell medical devices globally; in4kids generates professional-services fees for clinical-trial coordination. As a host institution, UCC provides governance, infrastructure, and credentialing but does not extract equity-style returns from the centre.

Name

INFANT

Legal name

The Irish Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research (INFANT)

Website

https://infantcentre.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

INFANT is a University College Cork research centre (est. 2013) that investigates pregnancy, newborn, and early-childhood health through AI-enabled brain monitoring, multi-omics, and clinical trials, serving pregnant women, infants, children, and national paediatric trial sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Perinatal and Maternal-Child Health Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Maternal, Neonatal & Pediatric Remote Monitoring (HLACAPAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Prenatal & Maternal-Fetal Diagnostic Imaging Centers (HLAFAKAL), Newborn Screening & Genetic Public Health Laboratories (HLAJAIAJ), Developmental Screening & Assessment (0–5) (EDACAFAA), Pregnancy & Prenatal Care Telehealth (OB tele-visits, prenatal monitoring) (HLALAHAC)

Keywords

• Perinatal research services
• Maternal child health
• Neonatal brain monitoring
• Clinical trials network
• Biomarker discovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Cork

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research Funding: INFANT generates revenue through competitive research grants from government agencies, foundations, and international funding bodies. Major funders include Research Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Health Research Board, Children's Health Foundation, Cerebral Palsy Foundation, Gates Foundation, and EU Horizon programmes.
2. Spin-out Companies: INFANT commercialises research through spin-out companies like CergenX and NeuroBell, which develop and sell medical devices. These companies secure independent investment and revenue streams.
3. Clinical Trial Services: INFANT provides clinical research services through in4kids network, supporting pharmaceutical and medical device trials with fees for study design, coordination, and execution.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

INFANT is Ireland's first and only dedicated perinatal research centre, conducting clinical and translational research across pregnancy, newborn and early childhood health at University College Cork. It operates longitudinal birth cohort studies (BASELINE), runs multi-omics biomarker discovery, develops AI-driven neurodiagnostic and seizure-detection technologies, and coordinates paediatric clinical trials nationally through the in4kids network. The centre commercialises select technologies via spin-out companies (CergenX – Wave AI device; NeuroBell – Luna wireless brain monitor) and operates clinical programmes such as Ireland's first public oral immunotherapy programme for peanut allergy.

Product overview

INFANT (Irish Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research) is a research centre at University College Cork that conducts world-leading research in pregnancy, birth, and early childhood. While primarily a research institution, INFANT has produced commercial spin-out products including the CergenX Wave device (AI-powered newborn brain assessment) and NeuroBell Luna (wireless newborn brain monitor for seizure detection). The centre also develops research tools like CogniToT for cognitive assessment and operates clinical programmes including Ireland's first public oral immunotherapy programme for peanut allergy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ELEVATE: Five-year research programme focused on prevention, early detection, and treatment of brain injury and cerebral palsy in infants
• LINDA-FAMILIA
• SOPHIE Study
• AIM-HIGH
• In4kids

Products and services

• Wave (CergenX) AI Newborn Brain Assessment Device An AI-powered device for assessing newborn brain function that allows maternity hospital staff to detect brain injury in newborns without waiting for specialist neurological support, targeting neonatal neuroprotective care.
• Luna (NeuroBell) Wireless Newborn Brain Monitor A pocket-sized wireless brain monitor for seizure detection in newborns in NICUs, enabling routine monitoring across hospital settings without requiring specialist expertise for timely intervention.
• CogniToT Cognitive Assessment An interactive tablet-based cognitive assessment test measuring how well young children think, understand and learn, with an updated design accessible to children with poorer vision.
• Public Peanut Allergy Oral Immunotherapy Programme Ireland's first public oral immunotherapy programme for peanut allergy, based at Cork University Hospital, gradually introducing peanut allergens under medical supervision to desensitise children's immune systems and reduce risk of severe reactions.
• in4kids Paediatric Clinical Trials Network Ireland's national paediatric clinical trials network hosted at INFANT, connecting hospitals, researchers and pharmaceutical/medical device sponsors to conduct child-focused clinical research and serving as a node in the European c4c network.
• Baby BRAiN Video EEG Monitoring Service A research service using video EEG monitoring in collaboration with LSHTM and East African partners to assess newborn brain injury, with capability building for newborn brain monitoring in low-resource settings.

Quantifiable outcome

• 250+ children treated through Ireland's first public oral immunotherapy programme for peanut allergy in first year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• University College Cork (UCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINFANT is hosted at UCC and functions as the Irish Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research. UCC provides institutional support, infrastructure, and research governance for all INFANT activities.
• Cork University Maternity HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary clinical partner for maternal and child health research. Conducts clinical trials, recruits participants, and translates research into practice at the maternity hospital.
• Cork University HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for neonatal research, MRI brain studies, and treatment programmes including Ireland's first public oral immunotherapy programme for peanut allergy.
• In4kids (Irish Network for Children's Clinical Trials)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIreland's national paediatric clinical trials network hosted at INFANT, connecting hospitals and researchers nationwide to conduct child-focused clinical research.
• Children's Health IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer of the National Young Persons Advisory Group (YPAG) to involve young people in paediatric research design and implementation.
• connect4children (c4c)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean children's clinical trials network that in4kids connects to, providing access to international clinical trial sites and expertise across Europe.
• HAON Life SciencesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading cell therapy biotech leading the CanVas consortium developing CanVas-001 for treatment of Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE).
• NIBRT (National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training)majorTechnology or IntegrationCarrying out analytical development for the CanVas cell therapy project as part of the DTIF-funded consortium.
• Hi-Tech HealthmajorTechnology or IntegrationFacilitating development and manufacture of CanVas-001 cell therapy product for clinical trials.
• Trinity College Dublin (TCD)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the ELEVATE programme for early detection of cerebral palsy, collaborating on research across Ireland's tertiary maternity hospitals.
• Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the ELEVATE programme alongside TCD and UCC, working across Ireland's tertiary maternity hospitals.
• London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Professor Cally Tann on the Baby BRAiN study using video EEG monitoring for newborn brain injury in Uganda.
• Aarhus University (Denmark)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaborative partner in autism cord blood research study published in Molecular Psychiatry.
• University of Toronto (Canada)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaborative partner in longitudinal autism research following children from birth to mid-childhood.
• East African Health Partners (Ethiopia)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners in the LINDA-FAMILIA digital health project to improve access to maternal and child health data across East African health systems.
• Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term collaborators from Tanzania visiting INFANT for research capacity building and neonatal research partnerships.
• CergenX (Spin-out)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerUCC and INFANT spin-out company co-founded by Prof Geraldine Boylan, commercialising the Wave device for AI-powered newborn brain assessment. Received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation.
• NeuroBell (Spin-out)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerUCC and INFANT spin-out company founded by Mark O'Sullivan, developing Luna wireless brain monitor for seizure detection in newborns. Awarded Enterprise Ireland Founder of the Year 2025.
• EvervaultmajorTechnology or IntegrationCybersecurity company partnering with INFANT and CergenX on the Newborn Brain Test (NBT) project to develop AI-based platform for newborn brain activity detection.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CergenX: Direct INFANT/UCC spin-out commercialising the AI-powered Wave device for newborn brain injury detection with FDA Breakthrough Device Designation. Closest commercial peer given shared IP and team.
• NeuroBell: INFANT/UCC spin-out (founded 2023) developing the Luna pocket-sized wireless brain monitor for seizure detection in NICU newborns. Directly comparable as another neonatal brain-monitoring commercial vehicle of INFANT research.
• Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI): Large paediatric and maternal health research institute in Melbourne with similar translational model — discovery research feeding into clinical trials, public health impact, and commercial spin-outs. Highly comparable scale and mission.
• Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (UCL): UK academic paediatric research institute jointly operating with Great Ormond Street Hospital. Similar university-hospital research model covering pregnancy, neonatal, and child health with strong publication output and clinical trial activity.
• Nemo Healthcare: Dutch medtech developing non-invasive fetal and maternal monitoring devices using electrophysiology. Comparable as a neonatal/maternal monitoring hardware company with academic spin-out roots.
• SickKids Research Institute: Canada's largest paediatric research institute based at The Hospital for Sick Children, with strong translational research programmes in brain injury, neurodevelopment, and child health — closely comparable to INFANT's portfolio.
• Karolinska Institutet (Department of Women's and Children's Health): Leading European medical university with a dedicated maternal/child health research department and translational programmes in neonatology. Comparable as a research-driven, university-embedded peer with international collaboration networks.

Broad incumbents

• Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation: One of the largest US paediatric research centres with strong translational pipeline in neonatology, neurology, and developmental disorders. Comparable in research breadth but materially larger scale and funding base.
• Natus Medical: Established US-listed provider of neurology and newborn care equipment including EEG and NICU monitoring solutions. Represents the incumbent competitive set for INFANT spin-out products like Wave and Luna.
• Masimo: Global patient monitoring leader with significant neonatal and paediatric monitoring footprint. Comparable in addressing the same hospital customers INFANT spin-outs target, but at far greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@infantresearchcentre
• Facebookfacebook.com/infantcentre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/infant-research-centre
• Instagraminstagram.com/infantcentre
• Xx.com/infantcentre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about INFANT