Stroke has become a major challenge for medicine and health policy. It is the third largest cause of death in many countries and the largest single cause of severe disability. It is predicted that stroke will account for 6.2 percent of the total burden of illness in 2020. In the last two decades, research and new technology have brought significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of stroke. For instance, thrombolytic drugs have revolutionized stroke care and improved recovery from the disease. New imaging techniques are used to study structural and functional changes at the cellular and molecular level in the brain. Nevertheless, improvement of reperfusion, reduction of brain damage, and induction of endogenous protection and repair deserve increased efforts to overcome the "translational roadblock“ and bring new therapies. By pooling together multidisciplinary and cross-sectorial expertise, the European Stroke Network drives the generation of new hypothesis and solutions for stroke, with a view toward developing successful strategies for brain protection and repair. The network has established important transatlantic research cooperation with the Canadian Stroke Network and other groups. The symposium will give an opportunity to exchange ideas and identify common scientific challenges that need to be solved to speed up the discovery of new treatments.