We are proud to announce that the recipients of the 2026 RiMS Grant Programme (RiGra) are Zuhal Abasiyanik and Felipe Balistieri Santinelli, from the REVAL Rehabilitation Research Center, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences at Hasselt University, Belgium, for their project: Development of a patient-reported outcome measure for high-level motor capacity in multiple sclerosis.

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) with low disability may appear functionally unaffected during routine clinical assessments, while already experiencing subtle motor difficulties during more demanding activities. These early impairments can involve areas such as balance, coordination, strength, walking endurance and fatigability, but may not be adequately captured by commonly used clinical assessments. As a result, early changes can be difficult to identify, potentially delaying timely rehabilitation and personalised care.

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) can help capture difficulties experienced by people with MS themselves. However, existing PROMs may not be sufficiently sensitive to detect subtle changes in people who are still highly functioning. The project therefore aims to develop and validate a new PROM specifically designed to identify high-level motor capacity deficits in people with MS with low disability (EDSS 0-3.5).

The project will use a multi-phase, mixed-methods approach to:

• Develop potential items based on existing research on motor capacity tests and PROMs.
• Involve people with MS, clinicians and researchers in refining and selecting the most relevant items.
• Test the new PROM across multiple international centres and evaluate its reliability and validity.
• Examine the relationship between patients’ perceived motor difficulties and objectively measured motor capacity.

Ultimately, the project aims to provide a valid, reliable and sensitive patient-reported tool that can support earlier identification of motor decline and more precise assessment in MS rehabilitation. It may also help rehabilitation professionals identify when more detailed motor assessments are needed and contribute to future research on disease progression and monitoring.

The project brings together an extensive international and multidisciplinary collaboration. It will involve nine centres across six countries (Belgium, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Chile and the United States) bringing together expertise in MS rehabilitation, motor assessment and outcome measurement.

The project is led by Zuhal Abasiyanik and Felipe Balistieri Santinelli, with Prof. Peter Feys serving as the legal Principal Investigator. Zuhal and Felipe will be responsible for the day-to-day project management and coordination, with Hasselt University supporting the implementation of the project across the collaborating centres.

We extend our warmest congratulations to Zuhal, Felipe and the entire project team on receiving the 2026 RiGra grant, and we look forward to following the development and impact of their work.

About RiGra

The RiMS Grant Programme (RiGra) supports early-career researchers in the field of MS rehabilitation by funding high-quality, practice-oriented research that enhances care and outcomes for people living with MS. You can find more information here.