The IASIOS First Year Forward Grant is now accepting applications! Supported through an educational grant from Boston Scientific*, the grant assists hospitals in starting their IASIOS accreditation journey and covers the first year of enrolment for five selected centres. More details about the 2026 round are available here.
The IASIOS First Year Forward Grant, launched in 2025, facilitates greater access to structured quality assurance and encourages hospitals across Europe to align their IO services with international standards by removing initial financial and organisational barriers.
CIRSE Insider spoke with representatives from the five inaugural grant-winning centres: Dr. Nimit Goyal from Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, Dr. Alexander Kupferthaler from Ordensklinikum Linz, Dr. Cormac O’Brien from University Hospital Galway, Prof. Raphael Duran from CHUV Lausanne, and Prof. José Urbano from Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal.
Their insights offer a first look at how centres began accrediting their interventional oncology (IO) services, how the grant influenced their timelines, and advice for institutions applying for the 2026 round.
CIRSE Insider: How did winning the First Year Forward Grant impact your accreditation journey?
Duran: Winning the First Year Forward Grant provided the decisive push to initiate our IASIOS accreditation journey. The grant acted as a catalyst and gave us the necessary support to formalize our processes to get started.
O’Brien: The First Year Forward Grant allowed us to make the first step to become an IASIOS Enrolled Centre, which gave us the momentum to unite our IO team together to spend more time thinking about our service.
Kupferthaler: Winning the grant accelerated our accreditation journey. We were able to implement key quality and safety initiatives sooner, refine protocols, and address gaps more quickly.
CIRSE Insider: What were the key reasons your team decided to pursue IASIOS accreditation?
Urbano: Hospital Ramón y Cajal already holds several quality accreditations across oncology and other departments, but before IASIOS, we didn’t have an accreditation pathway for interventional oncology. When the First Year Forward Grant became available, we saw an opportunity to address that gap. IASIOS provided a structured way to formalise the quality work already being done, so applying felt like a natural next step. We are very pleased to be on the path toward accreditation now.
Duran: As CHUV Lausanne is the leading IO unit in Switzerland and a well-established centre internationally, pursuing IASIOS accreditation was an opportunity for us to further improve our practice. It demonstrates our dedication to the highest standards of clinical governance and reinforces trust among patients, referring physicians, and institutional partners. The accreditation encourages periodic self-assessment and external evaluation and provides a framework for identifying and implementing improvements in workflow, safety, and outcomes. These aspects directly translate into continuous improvement patient care which is crucial for us.
Goyal: Our team chose to pursue IASIOS accreditation to demonstrate our commitment to excellence in interventional radiology and oncology services. Through IASIOS, we can benchmark our service against global best practice and ensure that our processes, governance, and clinical pathways were consistently of the highest standard. It also aligns with our commitment to nurture a culture of continuous learning. Achieving accreditation recognises the expertise of the team and enhances morale by validating the high-quality work we already deliver.
CIRSE Insider: How was your experience with the grant application process?
O’Brien: The application process was very straightforward and fair. All the information was very clearly laid out, and the IASIOS team was great to work with.
Kupferthaler: Our experience was positive overall, as it encouraged us to clearly define our goals and priorities for accreditation. At the same time, the process was somewhat stressful due to the required documentation and timelines, but it ultimately helped us solidify our plans.
CIRSE Insider: What did receiving the news that you’d been awarded the grant mean for your team?
Duran: The team was genuinely enthusiastic to receive the grant, viewing it as both an achievement and an opportunity to further enhance the quality and visibility of our work. The award generated strong collective motivation and reinforced our shared vision of delivering high-quality, patient-centred interventional oncology care.
Goyal: Receiving the grant provided not only practical support but also meaningful recognition of our team’s commitment to pursuing accreditation. It felt like acknowledgement that we were on the right path. We also gained the confidence to accelerate several service improvements because of the grant. We were able to advance initiatives to refine workflows, patient experience, and governance processes more quickly.
CIRSE Insider: What do you think would make the most significant impact on increasing patient access to IO procedures?
Urbano: Our aim at Hospital Ramón y Cajal is not to increase the number of IO patients we care for, but to ensure that the care we provide is of the highest possible quality. The focus is on excellence in oncology treatment rather than volume. IASIOS offers a structured framework that supports this approach, helping us review our processes and maintain consistent standards across the service.
Kupferthaler: Enhancing ambulatory care services, integrating IO into multidisciplinary care pathways, and streamlining referral processes would help ensure patients gain access to IO procedures more efficiently.
O’Brien: I would say it’s the presence of interventional oncologists on multi-disciplinary boards and having clinicians from other specialties be more aware of the IASIOS accreditation process. This helps our colleagues trust our specialty and, hopefully, as a result, increase referrals to IO.
CIRSE Insider: In what ways do you think IASIOS benefits interventional oncology?
Goyal: Several ways! IASIOS establishes a global benchmark for quality and safety, which allows IO services to measure themselves against consistent standards, driving safer practice, robust governance, and greater accountability. The emphasis on patient-centred care helps create a more transparent and supportive patient experience, ultimately improving outcomes. IASIOS also strengthens multidisciplinary work by highlighting the importance of collaboration among radiologists, nurses, radiographers, administrators, and wider clinical teams.
From a larger perspective, IASIOS helps IO units to advocate for resources by providing evidence that can engage hospital leadership and external partners. In doing so, IASIOS elevates the profile of interventional radiology and oncology within healthcare systems and reinforces its role as a high-value clinical service.
CIRSE Insider: What advice would you give to centres thinking about IASIOS accreditation or applying for the next round of the First Year Forward Grant?
Urbano: IASIOS is an excellent tool for internal review within IO. It can help identify weak points in treatments and offer guidance on improvements. For some centres, the cost of accreditation can be a significant barrier. In that sense, the grant provides a very valuable opportunity for institutions to overcome an initial financial hurdle and access a framework that supports continuous improvement.
Duran: The First Year Forward Grant offers a great opportunity for IO teams to initiate meaningful quality improvement and gain international recognition. Beyond the financial support, it acts as a starting point that helps transform enthusiasm into concrete action, making it easier for teams to begin the IASIOS accreditation journey.
*The support is provided through an educational grant without any attempt to influence the outcomes of the application process. The facilities will be selected at the sole discretion of an independent review board.
