Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, affecting millions of people and placing a significant burden on healthcare systems. To address challenges in early detection, diagnosis, and patient management, the GRACE project has officially launched. This international initiative, involving 24 partners including UMC Utrecht, aims to transform cardiovascular care using cutting-edge digital technologies and AI-driven solutions.
GRACE is a collaborative effort supported by the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI). Over the next 54 months, the project will integrate innovative healthcare solutions to enhance early detection, optimize treatment pathways, and improve patient outcomes. With a total budget of €19.16 million—co-funded by the European Union and industry partners—GRACE will explore how digital health interventions and predictive analytics can reshape cardiovascular disease management.
UMC Utrecht is one of the key partners in the GRACE project. Professor Pim van der Harst, Head department of Cardiology and principal investigator at UMC Utrecht, plays a leading role in advancing research and clinical applications within the project.
To ensure real-world impact, GRACE will conduct six pilot studies across Europe, each focusing on a key aspect of cardiovascular care:
Aiming to revolutionize atrial fibrillation (AF) care, this use case focuses on early detection, remote monitoring post-ablation, and patient empowerment to enhance outcomes and reduce hospital visits.
This initiative integrates digital tools and remote follow-up models to improve detection and management of complications in aortic stenosis (AS) patients with a history of cancer, enhancing clinical outcomes.
By introducing tailored Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols, this use case seeks to streamline cardiac surgery recovery, reduce complications, and improve patient satisfaction.
This use case focuses on improving cardiac MRI workflows and diagnostics for Ischemia with No Obstructive Coronary Arteries (INOCA), ensuring accurate and timely patient-centered care.
Leveraging predictive analytics and digitized clinical guidelines, this initiative enhances heart failure care by improving treatment adherence, reducing acute events, and empowering healthcare providers.
This use case establishes an integrative care model covering prevention, diagnosis, and ongoing management for patients with AF, Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), and HF, emphasizing personalized strategies and patient engagement.
Each pilot study will assess clinical, economic, and societal benefits, ensuring practical and scalable innovations.
The UMC Utrecht team, a collaboration between radiology and cardiology, is working on the pilot study Advancing cardiac MRI for better INOCA diagnosis. The team members are Pim van der Harst (principal investigator), Hester den Ruijter, Marco Guglielmo, Tim van de Hoef, Nico van den Berg, and Brigitta Velthuis.
GRACE brings together 24 top-tier partners from academia, healthcare, industry, and patient organizations, working collaboratively to drive innovation in cardiovascular care. This diverse consortium includes leading hospitals, universities, research institutions, and medical technology companies, ensuring a comprehensive approach to tackling cardiovascular challenges. With active participation from organizations in Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom, Israel and Korea GRACE spans multiple healthcare systems, enabling real-world validation of its solutions. By integrating expertise across different sectors and regions, the project is set to deliver scalable, high-impact innovations that will transform cardiovascular disease management across Europe.
This project is supported by the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI JU) under grant agreement No 101194778. The IHI JU receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and the industry associations COCIR, EFPIA, Europa Bio, MedTech Europe, and Vaccines Europe.
For more information and to join the GRACE community, visit: www.grace-ihi.eu.
