TRANSCAN · ERA-NET on Translational Cancer Research

Cancer is a worldwide health burden and a major public health challenge in Europe, responsible for 25% of all deaths; a situation expected to worsen with population ageing. The strengthening of translational cancer research is an urgent need in European cancer research, i.e. the integration of basic, epidemiological, preclinical and clinical research with the implementation and evaluation of interventions in prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and care.The proposed ERA-NET TRANSCAN aims at linking translational cancer research funding programmes in 19 Member States and Associated Countries. By concentrating transnational resources TRANSCAN will provide a critical financial and scientific mass for tackling large scale problems, relevant for improving translational cancer research in each Member State or Associated Country as well as overall in Europe.The objectives of TRANSCAN will be achieved through interconnected activities, structured into six work packages (WP) and facilitated by the project coordination and management (WP1). A survey and analysis of national cancer research funding (WP2) will provide a comprehensive picture of the nature and extent of translational cancer research funding in the EU. Based on this knowledge, TRANSCAN will identify gaps in and opportunities for coordinated translational research, and will thus contribute to the development of a coordinated funding research policy shared by European countries. Based also on the outcome of these activities, three joint transnational calls for multinational translational cancer research programmes will be designed (WP3) and implemented (WP4). In this context, training programmes/activities of multi-disciplinary translational cancer research teams will be supported (WP5). The TRANSCAN performance will be monitored and confronted with the partners’ expectations, and a sustainability plan for the network beyond TRANSCAN will be elaborated (WP6), contributing to the building of a pan-European platform for translational cancer research.