Dear STRATA-FIT community,

As we move into the third year of the STRATA-FIT project, it is worth recalling a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Looking back at 2025, we can clearly see how our shared vision for STRATA-FIT is gradually becoming reality. Thanks to a strong collective effort across all partners, the project continues to move forward with confidence and purpose.

This year brought important progress across all work packages. WP1 focused on finalising the key legal agreements needed to advance the project, including the consortium and clinical trial agreements, which are now in their final stages and expected to be signed early next year. In parallel, we held a successful review meeting with the European Commission and an engaging General Assembly in Barcelona, where partners aligned on progress and future priorities.

Significant technical advances were made in WP2 and WP3, where teams worked closely together to expand and harmonise data across centres and successfully perform the first analyses using the federated learning infrastructure. These milestones mark an important step towards using real-world data securely and efficiently to better understand difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis. In WP4, the systematic literature review on treatment strategies for key patient subgroups was completed and will directly support the development of the STRATA-FIT decision aid. At the same time, WP5 and WP6 made strong progress in preparing the ACCESS clinical pilot study, including biomarker work and ethics submissions, with the study planned to begin in 2026. WP7 continued to ensure that all data use and analysis follow high standards of quality, security and ethics, while WP8 strengthened the project’s communication efforts, increasing STRATA-FIT’s visibility online and at major international events such as EULAR Congress 2025.

Looking ahead to 2026, we aim to share our results at EULAR Congress in London and continue building on the solid foundation established this year. With the dedication of our researchers, clinicians, junior team members and patient representatives, STRATA-FIT is well positioned to deliver meaningful impact.

Thank you all for your continued commitment, and we wish everyone a happy and productive festive season.

Warm regards,
Jaap van Laar, Coordinator of STRATA-FIT

December 2025

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Funded by the European Union (grant agreement no. 101080243). Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
The project has also received funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and from Hungary’s National Research, Development and Innovation (NRDI) Fund.