The Hypertension Excellence Centre programme of the European Society of Hypertension - current status, activities and reshaping for the future

Purpose: To describe the history of the Excellence Centre (EC) programme of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) since the beginning in 2006, its achievements, and its future developments. Materials and Methods: We list the number of ECs per country, the research projects performed so far, and the organisational steps needed to reshape the EC programme for the future. Results: In August 2023, the ESH EC programme includes 118 registered ECs in 21 European and 7 non-European countries. Updates about the formal steps for application, re-application, transfer of EC and retirement of EC heads are given. Conclusions: The EC programme of the ESH has been a success from the beginning. Further refinements will make it fit for the next decades.