The European Stroke Research Network (EUSTROKE) will be a collaborative effort that brings together researchers, government, industry, the non-profit sector and patient group associations. This network will put Europe at the forefront of stroke research through its multi-disciplinary research program, high-quality training for European scientists and clinicians, and national and global partnerships. A primary focus of the EUSTROKE research programme is to improve our understanding of the neurovascular unit to enable better prevention and treatment of stroke. This involves elucidation of dynamic interactions of vascular, cellular and matrix signalling in both the grey and white matter of the brain. Our research strategy looks beyond the single cell for a more integrative answer to ischemic brain damage. The goals of EUSTROKE will be addressed by a wide variety of multidisciplinary European research teams working on various aspects of the neurovascular unit. Thus EUSTROKE will promote integration of both clinical and experimental research teams in cerebrovascular biology, imaging, prevention, and reperfusion with a common focus upon the NVU. The project will aim at developing new approaches for targeting the NVU to improve potential combination or multi-targeted treatments for stroke. Combination therapies that target the entire neurovascular unit, promote cell survival mechanisms and extend the therapeutic time-window for reperfusion therapy will provide new opportunities to meet the challenges of stroke. Moreover, developing therapies that maintain proper NVU function or prevent age-associated alterations in the NVU may find use in the prevention or treatment of cerebrovascular disease. Thus, the collaborative project will integrate its vast multidisciplinary capacities to generate new hypotheses and conduct exploratory work on microvessel–neuron communication.