Blackford was founded as a spin-out from Edinburgh University in 2010. It now has around 85 staff, and its headquarters are located in the Scottish capital.

The acquisition builds on a licensing and development agreement signed between the companies in 2020. Blackford's infrastructure and imaging and analytics clinical application ecosystem serve as the foundation for Bayer's Calantic Digital Solutions platform, which was introduced in June 2022 and provides customer access to digital and AI-based tools for medical imaging. Additional workflow and analytics components were also included in the platform.

Once the deal is completed, Blackford will continue to operate as an independent organization and will be tasked with advancing its technology, channel partnerships, and portfolio of clinical applications, according to Bayer. The acquisition will follow Bayer's "arms-length" operating model in an effort to preserve Blackford's entrepreneurial culture, the company said.

The acquisition is expected to close later this year. Terms were not disclosed.