CHAIN (European Cardiovascular Health Data and AI Network) is a €20 million, 36-month initiative funded by the EU4Health Programme, aiming to accelerate the safe, effective and scalable adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in cardiovascular care.

Bringing together 53 partners from 20 European countries, CHAIN will establish a federated European ecosystem for the testing, validation and deployment of AI solutions in cardiovascular healthcare.

The project will create a European repository of validated AI tools, supported by AI Passports, and evaluate six real-world use cases across 13 countries. By securely connecting hospitals, health data hubs and disease registries, in alignment with the European Health Data Space (EHDS), CHAIN will support the responsible adoption of AI to enable earlier disease detection, better-informed clinical decision-making and more consistent, high-quality cardiovascular care.

Aligned with the EU Safe Hearts Plan, the EU AI Act and relevant EU medical device regulations, CHAIN aims to advance trustworthy, equitable and patient-centred AI innovation that improves cardiovascular health outcomes across Europe.

EHN’s Role in CHAIN

The European Heart Network (EHN) will coordinate the project’s Patient Advisory Group, ensuring that patients’ perspectives, needs and lived experiences are meaningfully integrated throughout the project.

EHN will also contribute guidance on human oversight and the responsible use of AI, helping to ensure that technological innovation in cardiovascular healthcare remains patient-centred, transparent and trustworthy.