Strategic Health Initiatives for Effective Disease Prevention (SHIELD) launches to transform non-communicable disease prevention in Europe
The groundbreaking SHIELD project, a four-year initiative funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe program, officially commenced on December 1, 2024. With an ambitious mission to revolutionize personalized prevention strategies for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes, SHIELD aims to significantly reduce the global burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Harnessing Technology for Personalized Prevention
SHIELD integrates multimodal data collection and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to develop risk stratification tools, personalized care plans, and behavior-change interventions. The project focuses on secondary and tertiary prevention, empowering patients with early-diagnosed conditions to manage their health effectively. Additionally, insights derived from SHIELD will inform policies with population-wide health impacts.
Key Objectives
- Advanced Risk Stratification: AI-based tools to predict disease progression and stratify patients into risk categories using diverse data sources.
- Personalized Care Plans: Patient-specific strategies, leveraging SHIELD’s digital tools and behavioral support systems to encourage adherence.
- Clinical Validation: Multi-country pilot studies in Spain, Switzerland, and Italy to test SHIELD interventions in real-world healthcare settings.
- Policy Collaboration: Evidence-based health policies fostering collaboration across healthcare providers, policymakers, and behavioral scientists.
A Global Effort
SHIELD unites eight partners from four countries, including leading universities, healthcare providers, and private sector innovators. With a total funding of €6.5M (plus contributions from Switzerland), SHIELD represents a significant leap forward in collaborative healthcare innovation.
Clinical Pilots Across Europe
- Spain: Cardiovascular health improvements at Hospital Universitario La Paz.
- Switzerland: Diabetes management, focusing on stress and sleep behaviors at Hôpitaux Universitaires Genève.
- Italy: Integrated diabetes and CVD risk assessments at Hospital Policlinico di Bari.
Transformative Vision
SHIELD’s vision aligns with European Union and WHO initiatives on NCDs, leveraging innovative technologies to advance healthcare delivery and patient empowerment. The project is poised to become a benchmark for collaborative health innovation at the intersection of technology, behavioral science, and medicine.
About the Consortium
Coordinated by HI-IBERIA and involving 8 organizations from 4 different countries: SERMAS (La Paz Hospital), Polytechnic University of Madrid, Université de Genève, Hospital Policlinico di Bari, Qualive, Consorzio per la ricerca nell’automatica e nelle telecomunicazioni CRAT and University of Limerick. SHIELD’s multidisciplinary approach ensures robust impact across technical, clinical, and policy domains.
Contact Information
For further details about SHIELD:
Inmaculada Luengo
Project Coordinator @ HI-IBERIA
Acknowledgment
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under grant agreement Nº 101156751. The content reflects the authors’ views only and the European Union is not liable for any use of the information contained herein.
Follow SHIELD
Stay updated with SHIELD’s latest developments on https://horizon-shield.eu/ (in progress).
