Catalyze to support €22M iCARE4CVD project aiming for personalised care in cardiovascular disease

Friday 27 October, 2023: As consortium partner, Catalyze Group is supporting the international research collaboration which aims to personalise prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Pictured: Mafalda Antunes Ferreira (Project Manager), Susan Barendrecht (Senior Consultant), Katy Greenland (Senior Consultant), Jordan Hoes (Team Lead & Senior Project Manager), Carolina Vieira (Senior Science Communication Advisor).

33 partner international consortium led by Novo Nordisk and Maastricht University

Leading Innovation Consultancy, Catalyze Group, is proud to announce that it is a member of a new Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) and Horizon Europe research and innovation consortium, iCARE4CVD, which aims to personalise prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Led by Novo Nordisk and Maastricht University, the ‘iCARE4CVD’ (individualised care from early risk of cardiovascular disease to established heart failure) consortium is formed of 33 leading international partners from civil society, academia, and industry.

This week’s kick-off in Copenhagen, held 25-26 October, marks the culmination of a 14-month journey since commencing work on the proposal. The international public-private research consortium iCARE4CVD (individualised care from early risk of cardiovascular disease to established heart failure) has launched to better understand cardiovascular disease and optimise future prevention and treatment.

iCARE4CVD: personalised care for cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease is very prevalent worldwide with enormous socio-economic impact. It is still the most common cause of death, despite significant advances in therapy. Due to population ageing and unhealthy lifestyle, the number of Europeans suffering from CVD currently exceeds 85 million and is still on the rise. This underscores the critical need for better care pathways to reduce the impact of CVD.

With €22 million in funding granted by IHI, the iCARE4CVD consortium aims to better understand cardiovascular disease and optimise future prevention and treatment. By creating one database consisting of data from more than 1 million patients and using artificial intelligence, partners will look for new strategies to shift from a one-size-fits-all approach to personalised care. 

“We are proud of our role in a project that will make a significant difference…”

Catalyze has been instrumental in not only the pre-award phase – actively supporting the Consortium in the drafting of the proposal, but also post-award, during the Grant Agreement and Consortium Agreement negotiation phase. Furthermore, Catalyze will now play an active role in the project management of the project as well as co-lead the Communication and Dissemination activities for the project.

Marlene Végh PhD, Catalyze Group CEO, comments: “We are very proud that we have been able to play such a crucial role in a project that will hopefully make a significant difference to the lives of so many patients. The iCARE4CVD project showcases perfectly all our key skills and expertise here at Catalyze. Through the guidance and support of our Consultants, the project was successfully designed, submitted and approved. Post approval, our Project Management and Dissemination unit guided the 33 partner consortium through the Grant Agreement phase and will continue their work and support the consortium in the delivery of this multi-partner project, and in maximizing societal impact.”

iCARE4CVD has been granted €22 million in funding from the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) – a joint undertaking of the European Commission and the European life science industry. The project officially kicked off its activities across Europe in October 2023 and will run until 31 March 2028.

iCARE4CVD project facts

Project acronym: iCARE4CVD

Start date: 01 October 2023

Duration: 54 months

Budget: €22 million

Coordination: University Maastricht, Prof Hans-Peter Brunner-La Rocca

Project Lead: Novo Nordisk A/S, Dr Nicholas Ciccone

Website: www.icare4cvd.eu

iCARE4CVD consortium partners

• Austria 
  • Medizinische Universität Wien
• Belgium 
  • Thomas More Kempen VZW
• Denmark 
  • Novo Nordisk A/S
• France 
  • Bayer Healthcare SAS France
  • Fondation Francophone pour la Recherche sur le Diabete
  • Huawei Technologies France
  • INSERM/Mondor Biomedical Research
• Germany 
  • Charite – Universitaetsmedizin Berlin
  • Evotec International GmbH
  • Deutsche Stiftung für chonisch Kranke
  • Universitätsklinikum Aachen
  • WIG2 GmbH
• Ireland 
  • University College Dublin
• Italy 
  • Fondazione Human Technopole
  • Instituto di ricerche farmacologiche Mario Negri
• Netherlands 
  • Catalyze B.V.
  • Erasmus Universitair Medisch Centrum Rotterdam
  • Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum
  • Maastricht University
  • Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek
  • Philips Medical Systems Nederland BV
  • Stichting IMEC Nederland
  • Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen
• Sweden
  • Astrazeneca AB
• Switzerland 
  • Amgen (Europe) GmbH
  • Decentriq
  • Roche Diagnostics International AG
  • Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics
• United Kingdom
  • Orbital Global
  • The Queen’s University of Belfast
  • University of Glasgow
• United States 
  • Eli Lilly and Company and its Affiliates
  • JDRF International

Funding acknowledgement

This project is supported by the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU) under grant agreement No 101112022. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and COCIR, EFPIA, Vaccines Europe, EuropaBio, MedTech Europe and JDRF International.

About IHI

The Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) is a public-private partnership (PPP) between the European Union and the European life science industries. The partners of IHI are the European Union, represented by the European Commission, and the European life science industry, represented by the industry associations COCIR, EFPIA (including Vaccines Europe), EuropaBio and MedTech Europe. The core goals at IHI, are to translate health research and innovation into tangible benefits for patients and society, and ensure that Europe remains at the cutting edge of interdisciplinary, sustainable, patient-centric health research. IHI has a total budget of €2.4 billion and is funded jointly by the EU and by industry associations representing Europe’s life science industries. For further information: www.ihi.europa.eu

Disclaimer

Funded by the European Union, the private members, and those contributing partners of the IHI JU. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the aforementioned parties. Neither of the aforementioned parties can be held responsible for them.