SHERPA
SHERPA (Smart Human-centred Effortless support for Professional clinical Applications) is a four-year research and innovation project funded by the EU Innovative Health Initiative (IHI). The project brings together 16 European partners to explore the development and implementation of AI-supported assistive technologies and robotics in interventional radiology, with a specific focus on neurovascular and oncological procedures.
SHERPA aims to support clinicians with intelligent, human-centred digital tools across the entire clinical workflow – from pre-procedural planning to intraprocedural guidance and post-procedural documentation. The overall goal is to improve patient outcomes, increase procedural efficiency, and promote the safe and ethical integration of AI in clinical decision-making.
> Read the ESMINT Press Release about SHERPA (1 September 2025)
Visit the official SHERPA website for detailed project information, partners, and updates:
ESMINT’s Role in the Project
As the leading European society in neurointervention, ESMINT contributes its strong network and expertise in clinical education and professional engagement.
Our main tasks within SHERPA include:
- Evaluating benefits and obstacles in the interaction between neurointerventionalists and assistive AI-supported technologies
- Conducting surveys and interviews with clinical end-users to gather structured feedback from the neurointerventional community
- Supporting the development of training and education formats to enable the safe and effective integration of new technologies into daily clinical practice
Through this involvement, ESMINT ensures that the clinical voice is central to the development of assistive systems – and that real-world perspectives inform the future of neurointerventional innovation.
SHERPA Outreach Session at ESMINT 2025
A dedicated outreach session on the SHERPA Project took place during the ESMINT Congress 2025 in Marseille. The session was scheduled for Friday, 5 September 2025, from 08:30 to 09:30 CEST, in the EYMINT/ETMINT Session Room at the Palais du Pharo Congress Center, and was open to all registered congress participants.
The session highlighted how SHERPA, as an EU-funded public-private collaboration, brings together clinical, academic, and industry expertise to develop smart digital tools that support neurointerventional procedures. Topics included AI-supported rupture prediction, advanced simulation technology, automated imaging workflows, and digital solutions for patient follow-up.
The full session details are available in the official ESMINT Congress programme.
An additional short presentation introducing the SHERPA Project was also be featured in the “Trials and Work in Progress” session on the same day, from 11:00 to 11:07 CEST.
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More InformationOur Team
Dr. Matthias Bechstein, Department of Neuroradiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Germany, is the ESMINT Scientific Project Lead.
He is dual-trained in neurosurgery and neuroradiology and specialises in robotic and remote-support technologies in neurointervention. Within ESMINT, he also serves as the scientific coordinator of the e-fellowship programme.
Dr. Matthias Bechstein
