Working together

The way we work

The Cancer Mission promotes a coordinated effort to bring together different EU policies and funding instruments along with the mobilisation of public and private investments and actors, including EU Member States, local, regional and local authorities, research institutes, entrepreneurs, cancer charities, and patient organisations to create lasting impact. Citizen engagement is at the heart of the approach to boost societal uptake of new solutions and approaches.

Our partners

Other EC initiatives

To facilitate integration of R&I and health policies, the Cancer Mission and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan were co-developed from the start. Their objectives are aligned, complementary flagship initiatives were agreed, and a joint governance was established. Equally, the Knowledge Centre on Cancer (KCC) supports the Mission through coordination and alignment of scientific and technical components of cancer initiatives.

To build mission portfolios, project clusters have been set up, bringing together projects funded under each call topic. The goal is to engage coordinators in building synergies among projects, and conducting joint activities, ultimately contributing to mobilising the cancer research community at large.

We invite you to join the first project cluster policy webinar on 5 June 2024, exploring how to work together to make better use of project results in the area of understanding cancer. This #EUHPP Live Webinar will bring together stakeholder and citizen perspectives on research and innovation providing an early exposure to the cluster projects launched under the Cancer Mission.

EU programmes

So far, the Cancer Mission has made available €378 million through Horizon Europe Mission Work Programmes between 2021 and 2023 for transnational research and innovation projects that address each of the four Mission objectives, including the main cancer initiatives as explained on the homepage.

In addition, the Mission seeks to build synergies with other EU funding initiatives and programmes to increase its outcomes and impact for people at risk of or living with and beyond cancer. Examples include several funding initiatives under Horizon Europe (i.e. the ESFRI Research Infrastructures, the Health Cluster, European Innovation Council, and EIT-Health), as well as under the EU4Health and the Digital Europe Programmes.

Member States and regions

To ensure complementary implementation with the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, Member States’ health and research ministries were brought together, ensuring that scientific knowledge gained through research and innovation supports and informs health policy choices, for example on cancer prevention, cancer screening, new medical devices for early diagnosis and better treatment and care options for children, adolescents and young adults.

Similarly, to support the integration of EU research and health policies at national level, a Network of Cancer Mission Hubs is being created Cancer Missions Hubs. These Mission Hubs will help Member States in bringing together citizens and stakeholders from different disciplines, sectors, and parts of society to

support national cancer plans;
cross-policy dialogues on cancer prevention and control;
deliver social innovation to national, regional and local levels.

International partners

The Cancer Mission has attracted interest from countries outside Europe, in particular in the area of paediatric cancer and lung cancer. For example, the EU and the U.S. share a prioritised focus on improving cancer prevention, detection and care for everyone facing cancer. To facilitate peer-learning and advise on the development of possible joint initiatives two expert working groups have been established, focused on childhood rare cancers and lung cancer screening. It will promote a new structured dialogue on cancer between the U.S. Cancer Moonshot Initiative and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, the EU Cancer Mission, and U.S. National Cancer Plan, addressing both cancer policies and research collaborations.

Stakeholders

To ensure a dialogue with a broad range of stakeholders, a virtual cancer Stakeholder group Expert Group on Public Health was set up under the EU Health Policy Platform, which hosts regular webinars on cancer-related initiatives. The Cancer Mission is also cooperating with a group of Cancer Charities to support clinical trials, as well as with industries, including through synergies with the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) and European Innovation Council.

Citizens and patients

The Cancer Mission is working with citizens to shape policy and research priorities. For example, under its Quality of Life objective, it has launched a dialogue with young cancer survivors, to better understand and co-create initiatives to address their needs.