Building the future of interventional cardiology within ESC: the EAPCI summit

The EAPCI Summit will take place on 19–20 February 2026 in Munich, Germany, marking an historic milestone as the first official Congress of the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI) organized directly under the umbrella of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Fully aligned with all ESC Subspecialty Associations, Working Groups, and Councils, the EAPCI Summit will bring together leading experts and emerging talents to shape the future of interventional cardiology and improve patient access to cardiovascular interventions. Over 2 days, participants will enjoy a comprehensive scientific and educational programme combining networking, knowledge exchange, and engagement around access to care and implementation of standards of care based on ESC Guidelines and ESC Scientific Documents. The programme will follow the two main tracks from the EAPCI Core Curriculum1,2—dealing with coronary and structural interventions—in parallel sessions and dedicated educational pathways. Joint sessions with other ESC Associations, Working Groups, and Councils, as well as with international stakeholders of interventional cardiology and cardiac surgery, will foster a global collaboration aimed at advancing equitable access to optimal cardiovascular care. There will also be a dedicated Trainees Track, with workshops for younger colleagues in training, who represent 50% of EAPCI Membership, with one in four currently in training. Within this track, the EAPCI Summit will provide the young interventional cardiology community with theoretical lectures on essentials in coronary and structural interventions, as well as practical simulator-based training with hands-on activities and clinical case-based discussions. Additionally, soft-skill sessions will help participants develop pivotal capabilities such as building research projects; securing funding and grants; writing abstracts and manuscripts; and cultivating positive leadership with a #RiseAndLift attitude. Finally, a dedicated Research Gateway will feature abstracts and clinical cases, with travel grants awarded to at least the top 200 submissions. Accepted abstracts and cases will be published in the European Heart Journal—Supplements, providing participants with a valuable opportunity to share research, connect with peers, and gain international visibility. In addition, the top scored abstracts, if suitable, will be considered for fast-track publication in ESC Journals. Through the EAPCI Summit, both the ESC and EAPCI showcase the central role of interventional cardiology within the cardiovascular community and establish a new cornerstone in the interventional calendar. Thanks to its multidisciplinary educational scope, the ESC is uniquely positioned to lead this field, promoting patient-centred, guideline-based practices and ensuring equitable access to high-quality cardiovascular interventions worldwide. The programme will be enriched by insights from regulators, notified bodies, early research scientists, industry partners and patients. Program highlights are described in Fig. 1. EAPCI summit program highlights: the embodiment of EAPCI within other ESC associations as basis of Integrated Interventional Cardiology Join us at EAPCI Summit: we will be shaping the future of interventional cardiology together! Register at https://www.escardio.org/Congresses-Events/EAPCI-Summit/registration. FREE Registration for all EAPCI Members. The authors are grateful to Valentina Tursini and Nata Nambatingue and all ESC staff for their invaluable support in organizing the EAPCI Summit. We thank EAPCI Manager Violeta Perez Garcia, as well as the following coordinators for activities involving tracks, abstracts, and clinical case reviews: Valeria Paradies, Mirvat Alasnag, Nicole Karam, Fabien Praz, Erik Rafflenbeul, Mario Iannaccone, Marco Valgimigli, Giulio Stefanini, and Felix Malfoud. Last but not least, a thank-you to all board and commitee members whose support makes all this possible T.