The European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging Research and Innovations Committee: a platform for research in cardiovascular imaging

The Research and Innovations (R&I) committee of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) has been established under the presidency of Patrizio Lancellotti and chaired by Erwan Donal for 4 years. Initially positioned as a working group stimulating research discussions and brainstorming in the field of cardiovascular imaging, the R&I committee evolved fast and aimed at empowering the EACVI to serve as a platform not only for the promotion but also the ‘conduct [of] large multicenter studies or registries’.1 In this regard, from 2013 to 2016, many projects were successfully launched, and interesting results have already been published. Among the list of achievements, the Euro-filling study2, and the NORRE registry3 should be cited as eloquent examples. These two large multicentre registries were piloted by the EACVI R&I committee, from the initial questioning and experimental design to the final analysis and data publication. Several articles4–9 are now available reporting their results and providing new insights and evidence regarding the usefulness and robustness of cardiovascular imaging. In 2017, the EACVI Board decided to extend the initial roadmap of the R&I committee. For the next years, the main objectives of the committee, in line with the important work previously realized, may be summarized as follows: Finalize and build on the results of previously initiated projects; Launch new projects; Consolidate the operating rules, policies, and procedures related to European projects on cardiovascular imaging. It is important to clarify and emphasize that the role of the EACVI R&I committee does not overlap with the EURObservational Research Programme (EORP) of the European Society of Cardiology, since the declared goal of the EORP is to provide ‘a better understanding of medical practice, based on observational data’. Our committee rather focuses on cardiovascular imaging and initiate not only new observational studies but also studies with mechanistic and pathophysiological insights, analyses of imaging quality/reproducibility, learning methods, risk stratification, and clinical outcome. The committee could potentially also drive a wider scope of studies from engineering to meta-analyses, via clinical and in vitro protocols. In addition, the committee may conduct, but also promote, studies and may provide endorsement for innovative and relevant investigations involving cardiovascular imaging. The project proposal may arise from different parts of the EACVI community (notably from within each EACVI section) but also from individual colleagues involved in the field of cardiovascular imaging, or from national societies and imaging working groups. The flow chart below (Figure 1) displays the approval process governing the development, management, and endorsement of proposed projects. Process of approval for endorsement or conduct of scientific research study involving cardiovascular imaging. CMR, cardiac magnetic resonance; CT/NC, computerized tomography/nuclear cardiology; HIT, Heart Imagers of Tomorrow; CV, cardiovascular; WG, working group; IRT, industry round table. Research projects, mainly those with an observational goal and requiring a large sample size such as NORRE, may require the involvement of many European research centres, hospitals, or imaging departments among the EACVI community. In this regard, we strongly encourage you to become an EACVI member and to have your laboratory accredited. Indeed, for ‘smaller’ studies or ‘proof of concept’ studies, mainly with mechanistic goals, accredited laboratories are prioritized. For the coming 2–4 years, many projects are in the pipeline, while others are already mature.10 The EACVI R&I committee should continue to grow and move forward with new, innovative and clinically relevant projects. More work on proposals for multimodality imaging projects, engaging all imaging modalities of our community, is necessary. The EACVI Heart Imagers of Tomorrow, already very active in the committee, need to be further involved and should play an important role in all relevant projects. In addition, we are convinced that continued and growing cooperation with industry, entailing both financial support and material assistance to strengthen our activities, can be achieved without compromising our academic and professional independence. Conflict of interest: None declared.