"Stroke poses a massive clinical, social and economic burden, yet we have very limited effective therapies. This inadequacy is in spite of intensive research efforts and numerous failed clinical trials. Leading European stroke researchers and clinicians with a track record of established cooperation will share their complementary expertise, and team up with SME partners with high profile R&D and ongoing, promising clinical trials. Based on a thorough reexamination of the failures and bottlenecks of previous attempts to develop effective therapies for stroke, the ARISE consortium proposes an integrative and innovative approach to overcome the translational roadblock. ARISE research will result in a number of novel, promising therapies, including safer thrombolytics, modulators of the immune system and inflammation, compounds inducing or mimicking endogenous neuroprotection, therapies to induce repair of lost function, as well as a fast way to selectively cool the brain. We will work on a common model and methods platform, in which for the first time relevant comorbidities, gender, age, and long term outcomes will be investigated. Training of young researchers will lead to a standardisation and harmonisation of laboratory practices within the consortium, and implement the standard operating procedures generated by the consortium. Importantly, the ARISE consortium combines expertise in clinical as well as preclinical stroke research. To obtain clinical proof of principle and to translate our findings into effective therapy of stroke, ARISE is conducting clinical trials and has established a dedicated clinical platform to (1) provide advice to the basic researchers of the consortium with regard to clinically relevant questions and modelling, (2) to periodically review the ongoing development of innovative therapies, and to (3) ultimately take the most promising preclinical strategy developed by the ARISE consortium into a multicenter randomized clinical trial."