Chipiron and the EIC Accelerator: MRI Without the Giant Magnet

Chipiron, registered in Paris in 2020 and led by co-founder and chief executive Evan Kervella, is developing a compact MRI scanner that works at ultra-low magnetic fields, detecting the faint signals with a patented low-temperature SQUID, a superconducting quantum sensor, instead of relying on the powerful magnets of conventional machines. Its EIC Accelerator project, AMRI, "Accessible MRI", receives an EU contribution of €2,499,999 and runs from December 2024 to November 2026, according to CORDIS. The aim is a lightweight scanner that needs no shielded room and can be installed in ordinary clinics.

In the first year, the report says, Chipiron assembled a complete prototype scanner, showed its detection chain working stably at ultra-low field in the lab, and acquired "the first biological images" with it, according to CORDIS. In April 2025 it raised a $17 million Series A led by Blast with the EIC Fund and iXcore, bringing total funding including public support above $22 million, according to The Quantum Insider. It said clinical trials would begin in hospitals in 2026, according to Tech.eu. No Chipiron study is listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.

Where Chipiron Stands Now

Chipiron is pre-revenue. It lost €655,156 in 2024 and €1.33 million in 2025 with no sales, according to the INPI financial ratios, and the French register lists 10 to 19 employees. By 2028, it told investors, it aims to have clinical prototypes, FDA and CE certification and at least 100 commercial units deployed, with the US as its main market. Its website labels the scanner an "investigational device limited to investigational use until market approval".

The Technology: A Quantum Antenna for Weak Signals

Standard MRI scanners are massive, energy-intensive and need shielded rooms, the EIC report says. At ultra-low fields the signal is far weaker, so Chipiron uses a SQUID gradiometer as an antenna sensitive enough to pick it up in an open environment. The EIC report says the design needs no heavy magnetic shielding, uses much less power, avoids scarce cooling resources used in traditional MRI and is quiet and open for patients. Image quality at such low fields is the open question the clinical trials must answer.

What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows

AMRI aims to validate and commercialise the scanner. It runs until November 2026, so it is too early to judge it. The first year delivered the integrated prototype and first images, a real technical milestone. Clinical validation, the step that turns a prototype into a medical device, has not started publicly.

1. Integrated prototypeDeliveredProject report.
2. First biological imagesDeliveredProject report.
3. Hospital trials in 2026Not registeredNo public record.
4. CE and FDA approvalNot yetTarget 2028.

The Money

The EIC's blended finance has two parts: the grant, recorded on CORDIS, and an equity stake through the Series A, which the EIC Fund joined. The EIC Fund's share was not disclosed. Chipiron's losses are small relative to its $17 million raise, which gives it runway into clinical work.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

MRI is scarce outside large hospitals, and the EIC report frames AMRI as a way to bring it to underserved populations. Chipiron's stated first market, however, is the United States.

The Verdict

Chipiron and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.