In stroke care, innovation creates value when it works within the realities of a time-critical clinical pathway. Nicolab and regional healthcare authority Regione Lombardia were selected to participate in the 12-month InnoMatch programme. Together, we are exploring how StrokeViewer could support more connected stroke care in practice.
The pilot brings together three hospitals within Lombardia’s established Hub-and-Spoke stroke network: one specialised Hub hospital and two Spoke hospitals. The pilot tests the platform across different sites and levels of care. This will help us understand how a shared digital environment could strengthen coordination beyond individual hospitals. It will also provide insights into its potential adoption across the wider regional network.
Our pilot is one of 21 projects selected to bring solutions developed by European Innovation Council awardees into real-world settings. Funded by the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme, InnoMatch connects innovative companies with public and private buyers seeking new approaches to operational challenges.
For Nicolab, the programme created an opportunity to work directly with Regione Lombardia on a challenge familiar to stroke networks around the world: making imaging and case information available to the right clinicians quickly, even when patients and specialists are located at different hospitals.
Preparing the pilot together
The first stage of the programme focused on preparation. Nicolab and Regione Lombardia worked together to define the scope of the pilot and align the technology with the needs of the participating regional stroke network.
This was an important part of the process. Introducing technology into acute stroke care requires more than making software available. It requires a shared understanding of the clinical pathway, the existing hospital infrastructure and the way teams communicate across organisations. The preparation phase helped establish this foundation and translate the wider ambition of connected stroke care into a practical implementation plan.
Throughout this stage, support from the InnoMatch team and its mentors helped structure the collaboration and guide the pilot towards deployment.
Moving from preparation to deployment
During the deployment phase, Nicolab worked with the participating organisations to introduce its cloud-based stroke platform within the regional Hub-and-Spoke setting. The platform supports access to stroke imaging and case information across locations. It also brings AI-supported image assessment and clinical collaboration into one environment.
Nicolab supported the implementation through hospital integration, user onboarding, training, system monitoring and technical support. Regione Lombardia coordinated the regional stakeholders involved in the pilot and its evaluation.
Working through these steps together was essential. Healthcare networks are shaped by local systems, established responsibilities and different ways of working. The deployment phase therefore provided an opportunity not only to introduce the platform, but also to understand what is required for a shared digital environment to fit into everyday stroke workflows, in Regione Lombardia
Now entering the assessment phase
Following the completion of the Prepare and Deploy phases, the InnoMatch pilots have moved into real-world testing and assessment. For Nicolab, this stage is an opportunity to evaluate how the platform functions within the participating network.
The assessment is intended to build a clearer understanding of how connected technology can support collaboration across hospitals and what should be considered when introducing this type of platform more broadly. It also allows the organisations involved to identify practical learnings that can inform future implementation and scale-up.
Not only can we address the functionality of the stroke platform within an established stroke network, we can learn from real-world use and demonstrate how technology, clinical practice and regional coordination can come together effectively.
What comes next
The findings from the assessment phase will be captured in a final report, providing Regione Lombardia and the participating organisations with evidence from the pilot’s real-world implementation. Following the completion and publication of this report, Nicolab expects a procurement process for the participating sites to follow. This would represent an important next step towards embedding the platform within the network and applying the insights gained during the pilot in routine clinical practice.
What InnoMatch has enabled so far
InnoMatch has provided a structured setting in which Nicolab could work directly with a regional healthcare authority on a shared challenge. The programme has supported the journey from planning to deployment and created space for ongoing dialogue between the stakeholders involved.
It has also reinforced an important lesson: meaningful healthcare innovation depends on collaboration. Technology must respond to the needs of clinicians and healthcare organisations, integrate with established workflows and remain focused on the problems that matter to patients and care teams.
As the assessment phase continues, Nicolab and Regione Lombardia will build on the work completed so far and capture the insights generated through the pilot. We look forward to sharing a further update as the programme progresses.
Learn more about Nicolab’s InnoMatch pilot and the wider InnoMatch programme.
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InnoMatch team: info@innomatchproject.eu
Website: https://innomatchproject.eu/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/innomatchproject
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Innomatch
Funded by the European Innovation Council
Website: https://eic.ec.europa.eu/index_en