Vienna, 01.10.2024 — The CLAUD-IT project, a pioneering 36-month initiative co-funded by the European Union under the EU4Health Programme 2021–2027, has officially launched. Running from September 2024 to August 2027, this project aims to spread the usage of clinical audit in radiology and nuclear medicine in EU Member States, implementing the agenda for medical applications of ionising radiation, as outlined in the SAMIRA action plan. By organizing clinical audit campaigns, CLAUD-IT will improve the quality and safety of radiology and nuclear medicine across the EU. The project brings together 14 partners from 10 countries, demonstrating a collaborative effort to enhance patient care and safety.

Clinical audits are recognized as a critical component in improving medical imaging quality and safety, and they are legally mandated by the European Basic Safety Standards Directive, 2013/59/Euratom. Despite this requirement, clinical audits remain under-implemented in many EU Member States. CLAUD-IT aims to address this gap by improving clinical audit practices and promoting their implementation in radiology and nuclear medicine.

Professor Roman Kloeckner, the project’s scientific coordinator for the radiology section, emphasized the significance of this initiative: “CLAUD-IT represents a crucial step forward in ensuring that clinical audits are not just a regulatory requirement but an integral part of medical practice in radiology and nuclear medicine. By standardizing and promoting clinical audit practices, we can significantly enhance the quality and safety of patient care across Europe.”

The project will build on the successes of the QuADRANT and EU-JUST-CT projects and utilize resources developed by the European Society of Radiology (ESR) and the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM). An Implementation Board will be established, comprising national implementation teams from the participating countries. This Board, which will include representatives from national radiology and nuclear medicine societies and relevant authorities, will oversee the planning and support of clinical audit campaigns, ensuring that these audits become a core element of the healthcare system.

Professor Laura Evangelista, the project’s scientific coordinator for the nuclear medicine section, stated: “The interdisciplinary and collaborative approach of CLAUD-IT is key to its success. By developing updated guidelines and training programmes, and by piloting audit campaigns in nine EU Member States, we are setting the foundation for widespread adoption of clinical audits. This will ultimately lead to improved patient outcomes and higher standards of care.”

Clinical audits in radiology will be guided by ESPERANTO, the ESR’s guide to clinical audit in radiology, with a new 4th edition being developed as part of CLAUD-IT. Additionally, a specific guide for nuclear medicine will be created. The project will also develop a training programme for auditors and provide comprehensive supporting documents and guidelines. All resources will be made available through an open-access repository, serving as a centralized platform for clinical audit information in radiology and nuclear medicine.

CLAUD-IT will pilot audit campaigns in radiology and nuclear medicine in nine EU Member States, including Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, and Spain. The audits will be conducted in two rounds, beginning with 11 hospitals within the consortium. Based on the feedback and lessons learned, a second round will be organized in an additional 3–6 hospitals per participating country.

Professor Kloeckner added: “By conducting these pilot campaigns and refining our approach, CLAUD-IT aims to demonstrate the value of clinical audits and facilitate their integration into routine clinical practice. This project will not only support Member States in fulfilling regulatory requirements but also drive continuous improvement in medical imaging.”

Professor Evangelista concluded: “We are excited to share the progress of CLAUD-IT with the broader medical community. Our goal is to create a lasting impact on the quality and safety of radiology and nuclear medicine procedures, ensuring that patients across Europe receive the highest standard of care.”

The CLAUD-IT project is coordinated by the European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research (EIBIR), which plays a central role in fostering collaborative research initiatives in biomedical imaging across Europe. This project is also supported by the ESR and EANM, two leading organizations committed to advancing the field of medical imaging and enhancing patient care. Their combined expertise and resources will be instrumental in the successful implementation and impact of CLAUD-IT.

For more information on CLAUD-IT and to access project resources, please visit the project homepage.

The CLAUD-IT project is co-funded under the EU4Health Programme 2021–2027 under grant agreement no. 101160903. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

For any enquiries contact the EIBIR office at office@eibir.org or askwara@eibir.org.

The European Society of Radiology (ESR) and the European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research (EIBIR) are excited to announce the launch of Pixel Pandemonium at the European Congress of Radiology 2025. This unique event offers an exciting platform for showcasing the latest AI and Machine Learning tools in the field of medical imaging to a global audience of clinicians, researchers, and industry professionals.

About Pixel Pandemonium

Pixel Pandemonium aims to connect the rapidly evolving AI/ML research community with the radiology sector by presenting innovative and cutting-edge technologies that have the potential to shape the future of healthcare. The event encourages participation from both academia and industry, fostering joint research and collaboration.

The goal is to showcase AI/ML technology that is still in development, offering participants the opportunity to receive early-stage feedback and explore practical applications in radiology. Pixel Pandemonium is looking for demonstrations that range from initial ideas with impressive results to promising new solutions that can solve specific challenges in radiology.

The event is endorsed by MICCAI.

Important dates:

September 30, 2024: Call for submissions open

December 13, 2024: Deadline for submissions

January 17, 2025: Applicants will be informed

We look forward to seeing the innovative AI and ML solutions that will be presented at this exciting new initiative.

For more information on how to apply, please visit the Pixel Pandemonium submission page.

The SINFONIA Project has released its final video. This significant milestone marks the culmination of months of dedicated work and creative effort.

The final video, which highlights the project’s key achievements and milestones, is now available for viewing. It captures the essence of the project’s journey and showcases the impact it has made.

The project partners extend their gratitude to all who have been involved and supported the project throughout its development. The final video can be viewed here.

For more updates, visit their website: https://www.sinfonia-appraisal.eu/

The joint research group at the University of Mannheim and the University Medical Center Mannheim is investigating the explainability of radiological decision support systems based on artificial intelligence (AI). Existing technologies for explaining AI advice were designed for AI developers but are not sufficiently meaningful for clinical decisions. Using a novel, hybrid AI approach, they have developed a new explanation method that takes into account radiology-informed diagnostic principles and thus improves the understandability and trustworthiness of automated diagnostic recommendations.

To gain further insights into our hybrid approach of radiology-based AI explanations, they kindly invite you as a resident, specialist, or senior physician in radiology to participate in a study. Your clinical background will help to better adapt the technologies to the actual working environment. At the same time, you can gain exciting insights into the development progress of AI systems.

The study is conducted as an online experiment and takes less than 15 minutes and is open until 30 September. It includes short questions on previous AI use, the detection of pulmonary nodules in CT imaging, and a final survey on the understandability of AI support.

Your answers will be treated anonymously and confidentially so that your identity cannot be traced. As a thank you for your time, they are giving away ten Amazon vouchers worth €50 each among all participants. If you are interested, they will also be pleased to send you the most important results afterwards. You can access the online experiment here:

If you have any further questions about the study or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact them by e-mail (oberste@uni-mannheim.de) or phone (+49 (0) 151 7000 1994).

We would like to inform you that the European Commission has launched an open stakeholder consultation on the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL), as part of the programme mid-term evaluation.

The consultation seeks to gain insights into the needs of stakeholders related to the digital transformation, DIGITAL’s benefits and possible improvements. As such, it will gather diverse perspectives on how relevant the objectives of the programme are to the digital transformation of European companies and the public sector, how the programme responds to current and future technological trends, the perceived coherence with other EU or national/local funding the expected impact. Participation is expected from all types of stakeholders, from small and medium-sized enterprises to non-governmental organisations, academia, social partners, public authorities, and other public and private organisations and citizens from EU Member States and associated countries.

The replies to the consultation questionnaire and all feedback received will help guide the design of future initiatives and inform reflections on the potential for simplification and burden reduction within the Digital Europe programme. The Commission will then publish a summary report of the consultation findings and the replies from stakeholders.

We invite you to contribute to the mid-term evaluation of DIGITAL by providing your feedback and participating to the public consultation. The links to feedback and to consultation questionnaire are also available in Have your Say (europa.eu).

The consultation is open until September 20th, 2024.

For further information, read the European Commission’s press release.

As the SINFONIA project approaches its end, enthusiasts and professionals alike are urged to seize a final opportunity to delve into cutting-edge advancements in personalized dosimetry and quantitative radiation risk assessment.

Mark your calendars for an unparalleled opportunity in radiation science! From August 19-21, 2024, the highly anticipated SINFONIA course on personalised dosimetry and quantitative radiation risk assessment will take place at the Multimedia room of Ghent University, located at Campus Sterre, Building S9, Krijgslaan 281, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.

This exclusive course will showcase groundbreaking insights and methodologies developed throughout the SINFONIA project, offering participants a comprehensive understanding of personalised dosimetry and its pivotal role in enhancing radiation risk assessment strategies.

Key Details:

• Dates: 19-21 August 2024
• Location: Multimedia room of Ghent University, Campus Sterre, Building S9, Krijgslaan 281, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
• Course Description and Programme: Course Description and Programme
• Application Deadline: 2 August 2024
• Capacity: Limited to 45 participants
• Open to: Consortium and non-consortium partners alike

Act swiftly to secure your place! Register now at SINFONIA Course Registration and await confirmation of your acceptance into this transformative educational experience.

To register, click here.

Join us in shaping the future of radiation protection through personalised dosimetry and quantitative risk assessment!

We are thrilled to announce that DeepTrace Technologies and Gleamer have joined EIBIR as our newest industry partners. We are excited about the possibilities and collaborations that these partnerships will bring, and we look forward to exploring how we can work together to advance biomedical imaging research and innovation.

About DeepTrace Technologies

DeepTrace Technologies emerged in 2015 after two pioneering Italian researchers demonstrated the potential of artificial intelligence in predicting Alzheimer’s disease through in-vivo brain imaging. This breakthrough prompted the creation of a startup aimed at bridging the gap between science and society. Since its beginning, DeepTrace has grown to include a team of passionate researchers dedicated to translating intelligent technologies into groundbreaking products for the benefit of society.

About Gleamer

Gleamer is at the forefront of medical imaging innovation, committed to developing a comprehensive AI copilot to facilitate precision medicine. Their AI applications are designed to meet daily clinical needs, offering a seamless experience integrated into existing workflows. Gleamer’s solutions, which currently support X-rays of bones and the chest, will soon extend to mammography and CT scans. Known for their high standards of performance and patient data security, Gleamer has earned accolades such as the Best New Radiology Vendor Award at the EuroMinnies and a top 10 finish in Google’s EMEA AI contest in 2023.

EIBIR is excited to welcome these innovative companies into our community. We believe that the combined expertise and cutting-edge technologies of DeepTrace Technologies and Gleamer will significantly enhance our collaborative efforts to drive advancements in biomedical imaging. Together, we look forward to making strides in research that will benefit patients and healthcare providers.

Stay tuned for more updates on our collaborations and the impactful projects that will emerge from these new partnerships.

EIBIR, the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO), and the European Federation of Organisations for Medical Physics (EFOMP) have since January 2023 spearheaded the SAMIRA study on reporting and learning from patient-related incidents and near misses in radiotherapy, interventional cardiology, nuclear medicine and interventional and diagnostic radiology, or MARLIN project. The study has collected and analysed information on the implementation of Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom (Basic Safety Standards Directive or BSSD) requirements for reporting and learning from patient-related incidents and near misses in these five clinical areas and developed best-practice consensus guidelines on the implementation of the BSSD. Thus, MARLIN aims to stimulate further national and EU-wide efforts in this area.

As the project nears completion, the consortium will present its results and recommendations at a workshop at the BluePoint Brussels on 5–6 September 2024, and stakeholders in the regulation, implementation and operation of incident learning systems from clinical facilities, competent authorities and professional societies are kindly invited to discuss the relevant issues.

• The workshop begins at approximately 13:00 on Sept. 5 and ends approximately at 16:00 on Sept. 6
• The draft programme is available on the project website
• Registration: Participation is free of charge, but registration is required using an online form by Sunday, June 30. Onsite attendance will be confirmed by email following completion of the registration form, as seats are limited.
• Participants are responsible for their travel and hotel arrangements and related costs.

The workshop will bring together the following groups.

• National competent authorities
• National health authorities
• European and national professional societies
• European and international bodies such as the European Commission and Heads of the European Radiological Protection Competent Authorities
• European and international experts in the field
• Patient representatives
• Industry
• SAMIRA SGQS and article 31 WP MED

We look forward to your participation and feedback on the project’s work!
….
This project has received funding from the European Commission under Service Contract N° ENER/2022/NUCL/SI2.880751.

Under the leadership of the European Society of Radiology (ESR), in collaboration with the European Federation for Cancer Images (EUCAIM), we are delighted to announce that the proposal for the thematic network titled “Advancing Precision Medicine for Europe’s Cancer Patients with AI-powered Imaging” has been successfully accepted. This proposal received the highest number of votes among all submitted initiatives, marking a significant achievement for our collaborative efforts.

The proposed thematic network aims to leverage data and digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, to develop more personalized and effective treatment strategies for cancer patients. Furthermore, the network builds upon the groundwork laid by EUCAIM, aiming to better integrate AI-powered imaging with other diagnostic tools and data with the goal to facilitate the integration of comprehensive diagnostics into clinical practice, thereby contributing to the implementation of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, the EU Cancer Mission, and the broader digital health agenda. Additionally, it addresses the implications of the new legislative landscape in digital health, particularly the AI Act and the European Health Data Space (EHDS).

For further information, please read ESR’s press release.

Join us for the Live Webinar on June 24th

To learn more about this exciting proposal, we invite you to join the EUHPP Live Webinar on June 24th, 2024. During this webinar, the 2024 Thematic Network leaders will present their proposals to the public. This pitch webinar will also provide an opportunity for you to ask questions and meet the leaders virtually.

Webinar Details:

• Date: June 24, 2024
• Time: 10:00-12:00 CEST
• Registration Link: click here

We look forward to your participation in this webinar!

We are delighted to share with our community the recording of our successful webinar hosted by EIBIR in collaboration with ESR, focusing on the impact of cancer imaging research and digital transformation of healthcare.

The webinar aimed to delve into the intersection of cancer imaging research and digital healthcare, spotlighting digital infrastructures, AI and lung cancer screening. With participation from leading experts, it fostered discussions on the latest advancements, challenges and opportunities in this dynamic field.

700 participants from around the world joined us for this important webinar, contributing to its success. EIBIR extends its sincere gratitude to all participants, speakers and collaborators. The agenda featured insightful presentations and an interactive panel discussion.

Welcome and Introduction by Regina Beets-Tan
The European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research – What Does EIBIR Hold for You? by Regina Beets-Tan
Harnessing AI for Cancer Imaging in the Era of Digital Transformation by Luis Marti-Bonmati
Advancements in Lung Cancer Screening by Hans-Ulrich Kauczor
Interactive Panel Discussion moderated by Regina Beets-Tan

The webinar’s resounding success reaffirms our commitment to hosting more insightful events in the future, advancing knowledge exchange and collaborating in the field of biomedical imaging research. Stay tuned for upcoming events and initiatives from EIBIR and ESR!