Mar 20, 2026
The European RES-Q+ research project aims to improve stroke care by combining the global RES-Q registry, an international database tracking stroke care to improve treatment quality, with digital tools and artificial intelligence.
As part of this work, stroke survivors and clinicians have co-developed a virtual assistant (VA) to support survivors after they leave hospital.
The VA will help them track important health issues (such as blood pressure), track what medicine to take when, store key documents and invite users to complete short questionnaires while providing summaries to healthcare professionals to support smoother and more joined up hospital checkups.
By strengthening the connection between hospital care and home recovery, the VA aims to improve the care, support and long-term outcomes for stroke survivors.
Arlene Wilkie, Director General of SAFE, says:
“Stroke recovery does not end when a stroke survivor leaves hospital. By connecting home recovery with hospital checkups, the virtual assistant helps ensure that no important details or changes are missed. This is an important step towards more personalised and joined up stroke care.”
For more information
- Click to visit the RES-Q+ website: https://www.resqplus.eu
RES-Q+ has received funding from the European Union under grant agreement No 101057603.
Mar 19, 2026
The EU Horizon funded research project, VALIDATE, aims to make sure AI can safely support doctors treating people with stroke.
When a patient arrives at hospital with a stroke, doctors must decide quickly which treatment will give the best chance of recovery. But predicting recovery can be challenging because every stroke and every patient is different.
VALIDATE is developing AI tools that analyse medical data to help doctors estimate how a patient might recover to support effective treatment decisions. Alongside this, the project will make sure these AI tools are fair, safe and carefully tested before being used in everyday care.
“We need to make treatment decisions very quickly when someone has a stroke,” said Dr Marta Rubiero, stroke neurologist and clinical validation lead in the project. “Clinical research is how we learn which treatments work best and make sure new tools really help patients.”
The project tests AI systems using diverse patient data and involves doctors, researchers and patient representatives throughout the process. Strict European safety and ethical standards are followed to prevent errors and bias.
Arlene Wilkie, Director General of the Stroke Alliance for Europe (SAFE), said: “Research participation is essential to improving stroke care. VALIDATE shows how working together can lead to trustworthy innovations that benefit patients and families.”
Researchers hope the project will help make stroke treatment more personalised and improve recovery for patients across Europe.
For more information, click to view video
Or visit the Validate website: https://validate-project.eu
The VALIDATE project receives funding from the European Commission’s Horizon Europe Programme under grant agreement number 101057263.
Mar 18, 2026
On Brain Awareness Week’s third day we are focusing on UMBRELLA, a European research project that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools to improve how strokes are diagnosed, treated and managed.
A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked or a blood vessel bursts. Quick treatment is vital, but recovery can be long and complex and many survivors remain at risk of another stroke.
UMBRELLA aims to support doctors by using AI to help them make faster and more personalised decisions, while keeping patient information safe and private.
The project follows a careful process: health data is securely collected, organised and analysed inside hospitals. Personal details are removed, and strict privacy rules are followed. The AI is then trained to recognise patterns and tested to make sure it works safely and truly helps patient care.
Led by Vall d’Hebron Research Institute and Siemens Healthineers, and supported by the EU’s Innovative Health Initiative, the project brings together hospitals, researchers, patient organisations and companies from across Europe.
“Stroke survivors live with many long-term challenges. Better tools to support them are urgently needed. UMBRELLA is an exciting step toward more personalised and effective stroke care, with the potential to make a real difference for patients and families across Europe,” said Arlene Wilkie, Director General of SAFE.
By improving diagnosis, treatment and prevention, UMBRELLA aims to transform stroke care and improve the quality of lives of thousands of people.
To learn more about the project:
Visit the Umbrella website https://umbrella-ihi.eu
Or contact research@safestroke.eu
This project is supported by the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU) under grant agreement No 101172825. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and COCIR, EFPIA, Europa Bío, MedTech Europe and Vaccines Europe.
Mar 17, 2026
EAST-STROKE is a European study that is exploring whether treating an irregular heartbeat earlier after a stroke could help prevent second strokes.
Atrial fibrillation (AF), a condition where the heart beats unevenly and sometimes too fast. This can lead to blood clots forming in the heart, which in turn may travel to the brain and cause stroke. Doctors usually treat these patients with blood-thinning medicines and drugs to slow the heart rate down.
EAST-STROKE will test whether adding an additional treatment to restore a normal heart rhythm, (rhythm control) soon after a stroke can further reduce the risk of future strokes and heart problems.
Rhythm control may include additional medications or a procedure called ablation, where doctors carefully treat small areas of heart tissue that are causing the irregular rhythm. The goal with this treatment would be to help the heart beat normally again.
Many stroke survivors are left with long-term disabilities following a stroke. For those who also have atrial fibrillation (AF), the risk of having another stroke is high.
“Life after stroke can be a long and difficult journey. By treating the heart rhythm problem early, we hope to reduce the risk of further strokes and help stroke survivors avoid more complications that affect their daily lives.” said Dr Märit Jensen, Neurologist at University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf.
The study will include 1,746 patients in multiple countries and is funded by the European Union.
Arlene Wilkie, Director General of the Stroke Alliance for Europe (SAFE), said: “If this treatment approach proves safe and effective, it would change how we care for stroke patients with atrial fibrillation and could help prevent many future strokes.”
If successful, the EAST-STROKE trial could lead to a major shift in stroke treatment, helping thousands of patients worldwide avoid recurrent strokes and heart complications.
For more information, see video: https://youtu.be/JM7wKqkCEYk
Or visit the EAST-STROKE website: https://east-stroke.eu
The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 101156541
Mar 16, 2026
When someone has a stroke, every minute counts. Quick and accurate diagnosis is critical to ensure patients receive the right treatment as soon as possible.
The POC4Triage project brings together hospitals, researchers and patient organisations across Europe to test four portable devices in real emergency settings, from ambulances to hospital emergency departments. By running the study in multiple countries, researchers can see how these tools perform in different healthcare systems and diverse groups of patients.
At Amsterdam UMC (Netherlands) and Vall d’Hebron Hospital (Spain), researchers are evaluating two brain-monitoring devices:
- A lightweight electroencephaloeraphy (EEG) patch placed just below the hairline to measure brain activity
- A functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) device that uses harmless light to monitor blood flow in the brain
The devices are tested in stages, first with healthy volunteers, then in emergency departments and finally in ambulances. This stepwise approach allows teams to improve the technology before it is used in urgent care.
Patients who take part may not benefit directly during their own emergency, but their involvement is vital. By contributing to research, they help doctors understand how to recognise stroke earlier and diagnose more accurately. In the future, this could lead to faster treatment and better recovery for stroke patients across Europe.
Arlene Wilkie, Director General at Stroke Alliance for Europe says:
“POC4Triage shows how research in real emergency settings can lead to devices that improve stroke care. Time is brain, every improvement in speed and accuracy has the potential to save lives, reduce disability and quality of life for survivors in the future.”
For more information
POC4Triage has received funding from the European Union under grant agreement No 101137358.
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