2024 EU4Health Work Programme: Discover new projects working on cancer diagnosis and treatment, and quality of life and survivorship

Funded under the 2024 EU4Health calls for proposals, ten projects working on cancer diagnosis and treatment, and quality of life and survivorship have recently started.

Diagnosis and treatment

The following projects aim to enhance cancer data collection, develop personalised cancer medicine and improve cancer diagnosis and care delivery, with a focus on children. 

• The Joint Action HOPE4Kids  will increase and expand the quality of paediatric palliative care in Europe by addressing inequalities in access to care, improving symptom management and psychosocial support and ensuring comprehensive care delivery regardless of diagnosis or stage of disease.
• The Joint Action CancerWatch has the objective of improving the quality and timeliness of population-based cancer registry data and making data-driven insights available through the European Cancer Information System (ECIS) and the European Health Data Space infrastructure.
• The Joint Action PCM aims to expand access to personalised cancer medicine in Europe by enhancing personalised prevention, treatment and follow-up and creating a roadbook to strengthen the Joint Action’s network and optimise patient outcomes.
  • The supporting project SPARC aims to improve diagnostics, care access and outcomes for common and rare cancers in Europe through precision medicine tools and cross-border collaboration, engaging stakeholders to harmonise practices and integrate these methods into national healthcare systems.
• RHYTHM will optimise imaging protocols tailored to paediatric and young adult needs, develop dedicated training material for healthcare professionals and address disparities in access to paediatric imaging equipment across Europe.
• PARTNER4VRT builds on the EU Beating Cancer Plan and US National Cancer Institute (NCI) “Cancer Moonshot” collaboration. A pilot collaborative observational study on two rare paediatric cancers will be established as proof of concept to accelerate progress by joining forces to develop joint definitions and common data elements for meaningful analyses. By doing that, PARTNER4VRT aims to enhance international collaboration to improve patient prognosis through data-driven insights and innovative therapies.

Quality of life

The following initiatives focus on enhancing the digital capabilities of cancer centres and on improving the psychosocial care for children and young adults with cancer. By focusing on empowerment and wellbeing, these are dedicated to enhancing the overall quality of life for cancer patients, survivors and their carers across Europe.

• The European Youth Cancer Network (YARN) will build on the work of the EU-CAYAS-NET and Outdoor Against Cancer Connects Us (OACCUs) projects to expand the EU Network of Young People Affected by Cancer. YARN will focus on peer support, social networking, and digital tools to improve access to information, particularly for those facing relapse, metastatic cancer and the side effects of treatment.
• IMPACT-EU aims to improve psychosocial care and social support for children and adolescents with cancer and their families, to improve quality of life for all.
• ON-COME aims to transform the psychosocial and nutritional care provided to paediatric cancer patients.
• The Joint Action eCAN Plus will enhance the digital capabilities of cancer centres in the EU to improve cancer prevention and care. It will do so through actions such as the implementation of a training programme, the use of telemedicine tools and a framework for the remote follow-up of cancer patients.

Read more about other projects funded under the 2024 EU4Health calls for proposals.

Background

EU4Health is the fourth and largest of the EU health programmes. The EU4Health programme goes beyond an ambitious response to the COVID-19 crisis to address the resilience of European healthcare systems. The programme provides funding to national authorities, health organisations and other bodies through grants and public procurement, contributing to a healthier Europe. HaDEA manages the vast majority of the total EU4Health budget and implements the programme by managing calls for proposals and calls for tenders from 2021 to 2027.