KIDNEYs FIRST EU- From First Risk Signal to First Clinical Action in Chronic Kidney Disease

KIDNEYs FIRST EU addresses the critical gap in early identification and prevention of chronic kidney disease (CKD) across Europe. Despite affecting more than 100 million Europeans, CKD remains largely undiagnosed until advanced stages, when treatment options are limited and costly. The project will implement a harmonised, clinically led early-detection pathway integrating primary care, nephrology services, and digital risk-stratification tools. Through targeted screening of high-risk populations, structured referral protocols, and evidence-based early interventions, KIDNEYs FIRST will prevent or delay progression to kidney failure. Pilot regions in diverse Member States will validate clinical effectiveness, cost-efficiency, and scalability. The consortium will co-develop standardised prevention guidelines, clinician training programmes, and a European CKD Prevention Toolkit to support adoption by health systems. By shifting kidney care from late-stage treatment to proactive prevention, KIDNEYs FIRST EU aims to reduce dialysis initiation, improve cardiovascular outcomes, and deliver sustainable healthcare savings across the European Union.

Why KIDNEYs FIRST – EU Matters

• Addresses the silent epidemic of undiagnosed chronic kidney disease affecting over 100 million Europeans.

• Shifts kidney care from late-stage dialysis to early, clinically integrated prevention.

• Targets high-risk populations before irreversible kidney damage occurs.

• Embeds kidney prevention into routine primary care workflows.

• Reduces low-value care and avoidable healthcare expenditure.

What the Project Delivers

A deployable, clinically integrated European prevention ecosystem consisting of:

• Harmonised early-detection and intervention protocols across all major CKD risk domains.

• A pan-European digital kidney registry and decision-support platform.

• Standardised clinical tracks covering stones, genetics, inflammation, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, nephrotoxicity, advanced CKD and transplantation.

• Behavioural, youth, and inequality-focused prevention modules.

• A validated health-economic and policy adoption framework.

• Training programmes for primary care and nephrology professionals.

• European CKD Prevention Toolkit for policy adoption.

We will conduct a series of formative research rounds to

formulate an initial co-design and system assessment phase informing the adaptation and implementation of evidence-based CKD prevention interventions across diverse European healthcare settings.