Nimble and the EIC Accelerator: Checking Heart Stents by Microwave

Nimble Diagnostics, based in Badalona near Barcelona, has developed WAEVE, a device that sends low-power microwaves through the chest and reads the electromagnetic signature of an implanted coronary stent, aiming to detect narrowing or damage without the invasive angiography, contrast agents and radiation now required. It was selected in the EIC Accelerator's June 2023 cut-off with a "grant first" award and received an EU grant of €2.31 million for a €3.30 million project from February 2024 to July 2026 to optimise the product, set up pre-series manufacturing, "complete a pivotal European clinical trial, secure regulatory approvals" and build a reimbursement strategy, according to CORDIS.

The first report, to January 2025, says Nimble nearly completed its commercial software, began developing its own network analyser to cut costs, signed a manufacturing supplier and a contract research organisation for the pivotal trial, secured its first EU patent, and that preliminary data from 15 patients showed a correlation of 0.82 with optical coherence tomography, according to the CORDIS reporting page. In July 2026, as the project ended, Nimble announced that NIMBLE-I, its first-in-human study, was "officially completed" with 56 patients at the Germans Trias i Pujol hospital, according to Nimble Diagnostics. No pivotal trial has been registered and no CE mark announced.

Where Nimble Diagnostics Stands Now

Nimble has appointed the US interventional cardiologist Morton J. Kern to its medical advisory board to guide its US strategy and pursuit of FDA approval, according to its news page. Spain's innovation agency CDTI has supported its development, according to an interview with its chief technology officer in Capital-Riesgo.es. The trial registry entry for the first-in-human study still lists it as recruiting with a target of 30 patients, according to ClinicalTrials.gov. No funding round or first detailed results have been announced.

The Technology: A Stent's Electromagnetic Fingerprint

A metal stent changes how microwaves pass through the body, and that signature shifts when tissue grows inside it or the stent deforms. Nimble reads it through the skin, which the report says gives fast and reliable measurements, so patients could be checked routinely instead of waiting for symptoms. How often stents fail matters to the business case, and Nimble's own figures differ: its EIC report says 30%, its 2026 update puts in-stent restenosis at 5% to 10%.

What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows

The award promised a finished product, pre-series manufacturing, a completed pivotal European trial and regulatory approvals within 30 months. By the end of the project Nimble had completed the first-in-human study, which is the step before a pivotal trial. The pivotal trial, the approvals and the reimbursement strategy are not reported as done.

1. Market-ready productNear completePer 2025 report.
2. First-in-human studyDelivered56 patients, July 2026.
3. Pivotal European trialNot startedNot registered.
4. Regulatory approvalNot obtainedNo CE mark.

The Money

The EU covered 70% of the project. Nimble's "grant first" award left EIC equity for a later decision, and no EIC Fund investment or private round has been announced. The company's accounts were not reviewed for this article.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

Hundreds of thousands of patients receive coronary stents every year, Nimble says, and follow-up today is driven by symptoms because the only definitive test is invasive. A cheap, radiation-free check could change that. Nimble has shown the device works in its first patients; it has not yet run the trial that regulators need.

The Verdict

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