1 IN 3
deaths in the EU are caused by CVD
ABOUT CHAIN
We create the conditions for trustworthy cardiovascular AI to move from validation to real-world deployment at scale across Europe
Led by
THE CHALLENGE
The scale of cardiovascular disease in Europe
Trustworthy AI and better use of health data offer new opportunities to detect risk earlier, support clinical decisions and deliver more personalised care.
62 MILLION
people in the EU are living with CVD
€282 BILLION
estimated annual economic burden of CVD in the EU
CONNECTED BY SCIENCE.United for
United for
healthier hearts
PEOPLE AT THE HEART OF INNOVATION
53
Partners
20
Countries
€20 million
EU funding
13
Use-case countries
The CHAIN consortium
The partner logo carousel pauses while focused.
OUR MISSION
From connected data to AI that works in practice
CHAIN brings together data, AI and real-world implementation to accelerate safe and equitable adoption across European healthcare systems
01 / 03
Connected data
CHAIN will reduce the fragmentation that currently limits the reuse of cardiovascular health data by improving interoperability, harmonisation, metadata and data quality across participating organisations. In line with the European Health Data Space (EHDS), this will support consistent data authorised use through shared standards and governance approaches.
Key outputs:
EHDS-aligned data standards, phenotype library, CV metadata catalogue and federated infrastructure
02 / 03
Discoverable AI
CHAIN will make AI solutions easier to find, understand and assess by combining a searchable repository aligned with FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) with AI Passports and evaluation services.
Key outputs:
FAIR AI repository, AI Passports and evaluation services
03 / 03
Real-world implementation
CHAIN will test selected AI solutions in six real-world use cases across different clinical settings and populations, generating evidence on performance, implementation barriers and transferability. This will help identify what is needed for trustworthy AI solutions to move from validation towards broader adoption in cardiovascular care.
Key outputs:
Six real-world use cases generating evidence for implementation, transfer and scale
ENABLING IMPLEMENTATION
Core components
Federated data foundation
Federated local data nodes and an ESC reference node, supported by a phenotype library, CV metadata catalogue, harmonisation and data quality tools aligned with the EHDS
AI discovery and documentation
FAIR AI repository and AI Passports making evidence on performance, fairness, explainability, validation and regulatory status transparent and accessible
Evaluation, deployment and regulatory readiness
AI evaluation services, deployment guidelines and integration support, training, regulatory guidance and post-market monitoring frameworks
AI IN CLINICAL PRACTICE
Six real-world use cases
Six complementary use cases will validate and implement mature AI solutions in real healthcare settings, spanning risk prediction, tailored prevention, early detection and diagnostic workflows
Risk prediction
Personalised cardiovascular
Personalised cardiovascular
risk trajectories
AI uses longitudinal health data to identify high-risk trajectories earlier and support more personalised cardiovascular prevention
Clinical decision support
Turning guidelines into personalised care
AI supports clinicians with guideline-aligned recommendations and translates approved treatment plans into clear, personalised explanations for patients
ECG triage
Earlier detection from routine ECGs
AI analyses routine 12-lead ECGs to flag actionable patterns and improve referral, monitoring and treatment pathways
Cardiac imaging
Faster, more consistent echo and CMR
AI automates cardiac measurements and structured reporting to reduce variability and turnaround time, with mandatory human verification
Multimodal risk stratification
Earlier detection of right-ventricular failure
AI combines imaging, ECG and clinical data to detect RV dysfunction earlier and predict deterioration in high-risk patients
Opportunistic screening
Cardiovascular insights from routine chest CT
AI extracts cardiovascular biomarkers from existing chest CT scans to identify actionable abnormalities and support preventive follow-up without additional imaging
LATEST FROM CHAIN
News & insights
Project news, events and perspectives from our network
A GROWING COMMUNITY
Expansion through
the open call
Network onboarding and support for new CVD and related NCD data holders
10
Selected new
data holders
Up to€60,000
Financial support
2027
Call launch
Join the cHAIN community
DATA. EXPERTISE. PEOPLE.