Ukraine’s CheckEye Wins $175,000 Healthy Longevity Award for AI-Powered Retinal Screening

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ukrainian health-tech company CheckEye has received a $175,000 award in the National Academy of Medicine’s 2026 Healthy Longevity Global Competition Grand Prize Phase. Its project, AI-Powered Retinal Screening for Early Detection of Chronic Diseases, was one of two second-place winners announced on October 20.

The recognition puts CheckEye’s work within a broader international effort to extend healthy life through earlier intervention. Rather than waiting for chronic illness to become symptomatic, the company is developing a platform that uses artificial intelligence to analyze retinal images for signs that may warrant further medical assessment.

A window into preventive medicine

Retinal imaging offers a non-invasive view of blood vessels and neural tissue. CheckEye’s approach is to use AI to identify patterns in those images that may help flag chronic-disease risk earlier. In materials supplied to Industry Pulse, the company describes its aim as turning a routine eye examination into an opportunity for broader preventive screening.

The distinction matters: screening can identify people who may benefit from additional evaluation; it is not the same as a confirmed diagnosis. The award recognizes the innovation’s impact, or potential for impact, on healthy longevity. It does not by itself establish clinical performance, regulatory approval or a replacement for assessment by a medical professional.

Recognition in Washington

The awards were announced in connection with NAM’s Global Innovator Summit in Washington, D.C., on October 20, 2026. NAM’s official announcement identifies Victoria Chuchina as the principal investigator for the CheckEye project, with EIT Health of the European Union listed as its sponsor.

CheckEye shared second place with Ryan®: An AI Wellness Ecosystem for Healthy Longevity, developed by DreamFace Technologies, LLC. Each second-place recipient received $175,000. The two top Grand Prize awards, of $700,000 each, went to projects focused on regenerative biology and ovarian hormone production.

According to the company’s supplied statement, the funding will support further development and scaling of its early-detection platform. The company also says its team participated in the scientific program surrounding NAM’s annual meeting ahead of the summit, creating opportunities to connect with researchers and other innovators.

“It is a tremendous honor for us to be the first Ukrainian company to receive this recognition on a global scale. This is not just an award; it is validation that our technology has the potential to shift the paradigm of chronic disease treatment worldwide—from managing consequences to early prevention,” said Kyrylo Goncharuk, CheckEye’s CEO and founder, in the statement provided to Industry Pulse.

The company describes the result as a first for Ukraine. NAM’s announcement confirms the award but does not establish that historical distinction.

The scale of the competition

Launched by NAM in 2019, the Healthy Longevity Global Competition supports ideas intended to improve health and well-being across the lifespan. It brings together an international network of collaborators across more than 50 countries and territories, with Catalyst, Accelerator and Grand Prize phases.

For the 2026 Grand Prize Phase, NAM selected 14 winning projects from 147 applications by prior awardees. The winners shared $2 million in funding. Over the competition’s seven years, NAM and its global partners have granted more than 725 awards and provided more than $38 million in support.

Those figures describe different stages of the program: the 147 applications refer to this year’s Grand Prize Phase, not to the full international competition since its launch.

What comes next

For CheckEye, the immediate significance is funding and international recognition for an approach to preventive screening. Its longer-term promise depends on translating that recognition into evidence and implementation: demonstrating reliable performance, supporting appropriate follow-up and making the technology useful within real healthcare settings.

The broader story is a shift in emphasis from treating disease after it becomes apparent to identifying risk earlier. CheckEye’s award highlights the role that AI-assisted retinal screening may play in that effort—while leaving clinical validation and practical adoption as the tests that matter next.

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Reporting: Industry Pulse News Desk. Based on materials and photographs supplied by CheckEye and the National Academy of Medicine’s official award announcement. Event information: NAM Global Innovator Summit.