Time is Brain and the EIC Accelerator: An ECG for Stroke

Time is Brain, based in Badalona near Barcelona and led by neurologist and co-founder Alicia Martínez, makes BraiN20, a portable device that measures the N20 signal, a nerve response the company uses as a live marker of blood flow to the brain during a stroke. Its EIC application said thrombectomy, the best treatment for ischaemic stroke, works in only 46% of cases because of "the lack of tools to guide decision-making", and aimed "to implement the clinical trials to validate BraiN20, acquire CE-Mark and FDA clearance, and bring it to market", according to CORDIS.

The European Innovation Council granted €2,500,000 towards a €5.15 million project from May 2023 to April 2026. The latest public report, to April 2025, says the company froze the design of BraiN20 version 2.1, passed electromagnetic compatibility and electrical safety tests, and started producing a pre-series of 25 units, while clinical validation continued in Spanish university hospitals. It projects that the device could let 15% more patients receive thrombectomy, cut time to treatment by up to 140 minutes and improve results in 26% of cases. In July 2026 Time is Brain announced CE/MDR approval and a €3 million pre-Series A round.

Where Time is Brain Stands Now

The pre-Series A was oversubscribed and will fund distributor onboarding, market access and more clinical evidence ahead of a European rollout "later this year", the company said. It now describes its category as "Real-Time Stroke Intelligence". It won a Eurostars grant in 2025 and was named an Etiko 250 SDG Changemaker in 2026, according to its news page. The investors in the round were not named.

The Technology: A Continuous Signal Instead of a Snapshot

Stroke decisions are made on brain scans taken at one moment. BraiN20 stimulates a nerve and records the brain's N20 response, which the company says tracks blood flow, and can be set up at the bedside in under five minutes. The report calls it "the stroke electrocardiogram" and cites stroke specialist James Grotta saying it "has the potential to have a major impact on the way stroke patients are managed".

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

The project promised clinical validation, CE marking, FDA clearance and market launch. CE marking came three months after the project ended. The clinical studies' results have not been published, the benefit figures in the report are projections, and no FDA submission has been announced. No report covers the project's final year. CORDIS lists the project as closed.

1. Final device designDeliveredV2.1, tests passed.
2. CE markDeliveredJuly 2026.
3. Clinical validationUnverifiedNo results published.
4. FDA clearanceNot yetNot announced.

The Money

The EU grant covered about half of the €5.15 million project. Revenue, the investors in the round and whether the EIC Fund invested under the blended award are not public.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

Ischaemic strokes kill 3.3 million people a year, the report says, and treatment decisions are made fast with limited information. A European bedside monitor could change that if it proves its value. The EIC helped bring BraiN20 to a CE mark; hospitals will decide if it earns a place in stroke care.

The Verdict

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