ESCAPE-NET: European Network for Sudden Cardiac Arrest

We met with Dr. Hanno Tan, cardiologist at the Amsterdam UMC, specialized in sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and leading scientist in ESCAPE-NET, which aims to develop the first European network that aids to improve prevention and treatment of SCA. Catalyze successfully supported Dr. Tan’s initial application to Horizon 2020 and provide ongoing project management to the ESCAPE-NET project.

Amsterdam UMC, at the forefront of connecting European researchers and clinicians to develop the first European network for Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) causes ~20% of all deaths in Europe. SCA is lethal within minutes if left untreated and survival rates are presently only 5-20%. ESCAPE-NET is addressing the large medical need to improve SCA prevention and treatment. Designing effective individualized prevention and treatment strategies requires knowledge on genetic and environmental risk factors. So far, these efforts have been hampered by the lack of sufficiently large study cohorts of SCA patients with detailed information. Obtaining SCA patient samples is challenging as the condition happens suddenly and unexpectedly. Joining forces in the ESCAPE-NET project are leading European scientific teams that have created large relevant population cohorts, mostly dedicated to SCA research. The aim is to fully exploit available data towards improving SCA management.

The project is running from 2017 to 2022 and was awarded a €10 million EU-Horizon 2020 grant. Catalyze is a partner in this project. Its responsibilities include helping to design a strategy to secure the future of the joint database that was built during the ESCAPE-NET project, in addition to providing project management for the day-to-day management of the project; and the management and maintenance of communication and dissemination activities.

Obtaining €10M in Horizon 2020 funding for ESCAPE-NET 

Ten years ago, Dr. Hanno Tan started to think about building a network for SCA. Yet, he was stopped by monetary barriers and the difficulty of the topic. In 2016, Dr. Tan contacted Catalyze for support with the application for a EU-Horizon 2020 subsidy for networking and optimizing the use of population and patients’ cohorts at EU level, which perfectly matched his goal.

Hanno says, “The EU funding means a lot to me, now more than ever, since the emphasis in research and clinical practice is gradually shifting from a regional or national level towards a European level.”

With the help of Catalyze, Dr. Tan obtained €10M funding to create ESCAPE-NET, the first large European network for SCA research. Within this project, Dr. Tan has built a unique database containing more than 100K SCA patients, some with DNA samples, identifying risk factors and collaborating with networks to translate the outcomes into clinical practice changes. Dr. Tan describes the moment he found out he won the funding:

“When I won the Horizon 2020 it was weird. I got the email results in midsummer and I was in the office alone, everybody was away for the holidays. It was also my first experience with this type of EU grant, and the jargon of the email was complex, so I was not sure if I was awarded with the grant or not. I could only contact the Catalyze consultant working in my project, and she confirmed that I got it!”.

Working with Catalyze

Catalyze is proud to contribute as a partner to this highly impactful EU-Horizon 2020 project. From the very beginning of the application process, Catalyze provided full support with writing the proposal. Today, Catalyze Project Management continues its support to the ESCAPE-NET project with ongoing project management and science communication services.

For Dr. Tan, this is a big help. “I like that Catalyze helps through the full process with writing a successful grant application, and once it is granted, with project management and drafting of a business plan aimed at sustaining the project into the future.”

He continues to have contact with Catalyze for the project management and business plan activities of the ESCAPE-NET project. Catalyze looks forward to continuing its fruitful collaboration with Dr. Tan.

Learn more about the Horizon Europe programme

Visit the ESCAPE_NET website