The EU’s Horizon Europe Mission on Cancer, launched in September 2021, will fund a portfolio of activities aimed at addressing the burden of cancer on society and accelerating research and innovation in the cancer domain. The overarching goal of the Cancer Mission is “Improving the lives of more than 3 million people by 2030 through prevention, cure and for those affected by cancer including their families, to live longer and better”.
Horizon Europe, the main programme of the EU for funding research and innovation in Europe, will support the Cancer Mission directly with a budget of €378 million for the first 3 years of the Mission.
In May 2022, the European Commission opened 5 cancer-related calls for submissions under the Horizon Europe Mission on Cancer, which are the following:
- Towards the creation of a European Cancer Patient Digital Centre: Project results are to support the creation of the new virtual European Cancer Patient Digital Centre (ECPDC). The ECPDC is a new initiative that is to be established as a federated network of patient controlled (national) health data infrastructures enabling the voluntary exchange of patients and survivors’ health data in a standardised approach, for primary and secondary use.
- Pragmatic clinical trials to optimise treatments for patients with refractory cancers: Amongst other things, proposals are to address the design and conduct of randomised or cluster-randomised academic investigator-initiated pragmatic clinical trials to deliver effective and evidence-based treatment interventions for implementation by healthcare systems.
- Strengthening research capacities of Comprehensive Cancer Infrastructures: Will support the creation of a capacity-building programme for countries of the EU Network linking recognised National Comprehensive Cancer Centres that is to be established through Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.
- Improving and upscaling primary prevention of cancer through implementation research: Amongst other things, revolves around primary cancer prevention as well as addressing bottlenecks that impact the effectiveness of primary cancer prevention programmes.
- Establishing of national cancer mission hubs and creation of network to support the Mission on Cancer: Revolves around the creation of national cancer mission hubs that will be established in the EU Member States and associated countries.
The deadline that applies to all calls is 7 September 2022 17:00 (Brussels time).
Additional information is available on the European Commission’s portal for funding and tender opportunities.