From matchmaking to multi-country pilot: Clariane, Sooma and the EIC pathway

A structured corporate-startup engagement managed under the European Innovation Council Corporate Partnership Programme has moved from introduction to deployment. The French care and long-term care group Clariane and Finnish MedTech company Sooma have formalised a commercial and clinical collaboration that will test Sooma’s transcranial direct current stimulation headset across more than 35 facilities in five European countries. The progression followed a curated process of open call, selection, pitch preparation, local demonstration events, a letter of intent and finally a framework contract in June 2026.

Why Clariane was looking for neurotechnology

Clariane bills itself as a mission-driven European group operating over 1,200 facilities and supporting roughly 840,000 residents and patients across six countries. The group lists innovation among its core commitments and is pursuing a network-wide transformation that uses data and new technologies to raise standards of care. In 2025 Clariane launched an open innovation call via the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme to find mature, deployable solutions in three areas: AI-driven diagnostics and therapies, digital patient pathway and facility efficiency tools, and mental health and neurological rehabilitation technologies.

How Sooma was selected

Between February and March 2025, Clariane received 56 responses to its open call. Fourteen EIC-backed companies from ten countries were selected for a Corporate Day held at Clariane’s Paris headquarters. The EIC provided structured preparation and pitch coaching. Sooma attracted attention because its device is CE-marked and positioned at a high technology readiness level reported as TRL 8–9, meaning the company claimed near-commercial maturity and clinical deployment readiness. The subsequent months included targeted demonstrations and clinical exchange events in Milan and Barcelona, a Letter of Intent in December 2025 and a signed framework agreement in June 2026 to start an operational pilot.

What Sooma’s device is and how it differs from existing options

Sooma’s headset is described as a cap that delivers tDCS and is designed for bedside and at-home use. That portability is its operational value proposition for a care network that wants non-pharmacological options deployed at scale. According to Clariane clinicians cited in the partnership announcement, the device matched clinical specifications, was CE-marked and showed a technological maturity that gave confidence in reliability for early operational testing.

The 2026 pilot: aims, scope and initial deployments

The collaboration moved to an operational pilot in 2026. The initiative is an 18-month multi-country pilot intended to assess both operational integration and clinical outcomes. It will test feasibility, acceptability for patients and professionals, and identify the conditions needed for future multi-country deployment. Early deployment covered more than 35 rehabilitation, mental health and nursing home facilities in France, Spain, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Clinical evidence and the limits of current claims

The announcement frames Sooma’s therapy as clinically validated and effective for depression and chronic pain. That is consistent with an emerging body of literature where some trials report modest benefits. However, the broader evidence base for tDCS is mixed and heterogeneous in quality. Meta-analyses identify small to moderate effects in some indications but also substantial variability across protocols, populations and endpoints. For a corporate network and public health systems to scale adoption beyond pilot stage they will need clearer, reproducible evidence from larger, pragmatic trials that measure functional outcomes, longer term effects and real-world safety.

Why Clariane designed a multi-country pilot

Clariane framed the pilot as multi-country to compare implementation conditions across different healthcare environments, share operational learnings between medical teams and better assess scalability. Within a large provider network, differences in staffing, training pathways, device procurement rules, clinical governance and reimbursement can change how a device is adopted and whether it delivers value at scale.

Context from Europe’s ageing and clinical burden

The case is set against an ageing Europe where demand for scalable, non-pharmacological interventions is rising. Demographic forecasts indicate that by 2030 nearly 24 percent of Europeans will be aged 65 or older and dependency rates are expected to rise. Depression and chronic pain are common among older adults. Stroke incidence and survivors needing rehabilitation are also growing. These trends place pressure on long-term care providers and create incentives to trial technologies that can reduce symptom burden, support rehabilitation and possibly reduce medication load when clinically appropriate.

Operational and system-level challenges to watch

A successful pilot needs more than a functioning device. Key operational items include staff training and competency frameworks, clinical protocols and escalation pathways, data capture and privacy protections, device maintenance and supply chains, integration into electronic health records and care pathways, and clear contracting and procurement terms. For broader adoption the therapy will also need to navigate reimbursement systems, medico-legal responsibility for device use, and workforce capacity constraints.

What this case shows about the EIC Corporate Partnership model

The Sooma-Clariane trajectory illustrates the kind of curated pathway the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme seeks to provide. The programme packages scouting, selection, pitch coaching, local demonstration and follow-up support to turn introductions into tangible pilots and contracts. That structured approach reduces friction for corporates that do not have existing scouting pipelines and helps startups reach early adopters. The EIC also maintains a broader suite of Business Acceleration Services including access to corporates, investors, procurement channels and support grants.

Implications and the next steps to watch

In the short term the pilot will produce operational and acceptability data across five countries that will be useful to both Clariane and Sooma. Clinicians and health system managers will watch for signals on usability, staff burden, safety and early clinical outcomes. Regulators and payers will want robust evidence on efficacy and cost effectiveness before wider roll-out. For the EIC the case is an example of a measurable pathway from curated corporate engagement to real-world testing.

For policymakers and innovators this case also raises persistent questions. How should public innovation programmes prioritise follow-on support to ensure pilots scale when evidence exists? How can reimbursement frameworks be adapted to allow adoption of non-pharmacological neurotechnologies that show pragmatic benefits? And how should providers balance demand for innovation against the need for reproducible clinical proof?

What to monitor as the 18-month pilot progresses

Explainer: key terms in one place

Final takeaways

The Clariane-Sooma pilot is a useful example of how structured public innovation services can accelerate the transition from introduction to operational testing within health systems. It shows the potential for smaller, portable neuromodulation technologies to reach bedside and home settings in a major provider network. At the same time, scaling medical innovation in care networks will demand rigorous, pragmatic evidence, thoughtful integration into clinical workflows, clear reimbursement pathways and investment in staff training and governance. Observers should watch whether this pilot can deliver the combination of operational feasibility and clinical signal that will support broader, long-term adoption.

For more information

The pilot and the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme materials are public. Stakeholders planning similar collaborations should consider building a multidisciplinary evaluation plan from the outset that includes clinical, operational and economic endpoints and a process for transparent data sharing while protecting patient privacy.