Project architecture
Methodology
A multi-phase roadmap designed to harmonize European cancer data, ensuring ethical compliance and technological scalability.
Implementation strategy
Project Phases and Overall Methodology
UNCAN-Connect follows a structured, phased methodology that links the preparation of a federated cancer data ecosystem with real clinical use cases and long-term impact. The approach combines technical development, scientific validation, and continuous coordination to ensure relevance, trust, and sustainability.
01
01
Preparation & Framework
Defining the conceptual, governance, and ethical foundations required for a trusted and scalable European cancer data ecosystem.
Requirement Engineering
- Mapping stakeholder, researcher, and citizen needs relevant to cancer data reuse
- Co-defining UNCAN-Connect and UNCAN.eu platform requirements
- Designing and planning clinical and research use cases to guide technical development
Compliance & Governance
- Establishing ethical, legal, and trustworthiness principles
- Defining data governance, access, and responsibility models
- Aligning frameworks with GDPR and the European Health Data Space
02
02
Infrastructure & Platform Development
Building the legal, governance, and technical infrastructure enabling secure and compliant federated data use across Europe.
Data Governance & Operations
- Implementing data governance, compliance, and operational frameworks
- Defining data access, processing, and lifecycle management functions
- Establishing mechanisms supporting the UNCAN Central Node
Federated Infrastructure
- Deploying scalable, federated infrastructure services
- Enabling secure discovery, access, and processing of distributed data
- Supporting interoperability and cross-border collaboration
03
03
Use Case Implementation & Validation
Applying and validating the UNCAN-Connect infrastructure through real clinical use cases across multiple cancer types.
Use Case Deployment
- Implementing clinical and research use cases using harmonised data
- Integrating analytical methods and AI-based approaches
- Deploying prototypes within controlled and real research environments
Evaluation & Validation
- Testing and validating use case results and platform performance
- Identifying barriers, limitations, and best practices
- Feeding scientific insights back into platform refinement
04
Dissemination, Exploitation & Coordination
Ensuring continuous coordination, ethical oversight, dissemination, and translation of results into long-term impact.
Coordination & Communication
- Stakeholder engagement, networking, and capacity building
- Dissemination and communication of project results
- Coordination with initiatives, networks, and policy stakeholders
Ethics, Exploitation & Impact
- Continuous ethical monitoring and compliance
- Exploitation planning and innovation management
- Developing guidelines, recommendations, business models, and policy briefs
The Network
Key Objectives
UNCAN-Connect aims to strengthen European cancer research by enabling secure cross-border data use, validating it through real clinical use cases, and translating results into sustainable, policy-relevant outcomes.
Federated Data Sovereignty
UNCAN-Connect establishes a federated data ecosystem in which cancer data remains under the control of its original holders, while being discoverable and usable for approved research across Europe under clearly defined governance rules.
Technical Interoperability
The project develops and validates interoperable technical solutions that allow diverse cancer datasets, tools, and services to work together within the UNCAN.eu platform, supporting harmonised data access and analysis across distributed nodes.
Trust, Ethics & Compliance
UNCAN-Connect embeds ethical, legal, and societal considerations throughout all activities, ensuring full compliance with GDPR and alignment with the European Health Data Space, while fostering trust among patients, data providers, and researchers.
Sustainable Impact & Uptake
UNCAN-Connect translates technical and scientific results into impact assessments, guidelines, and recommendations that support the continued use, scalability, and sustainability of the UNCAN.eu ecosystem within the European cancer research landscape.
Project outcomes
Main Results & Deliverables
UNCAN-Connect delivers a set of concrete technical, governance, and scientific outputs that enable secure and compliant cross-border cancer research in Europe. The project establishes the foundations for federated data access, validates them through real clinical use cases, and translates the results into guidelines and recommendations that support the sustainable use of the UNCAN.eu ecosystem beyond the project duration.
Innovative Federated Infrastructure & Tools
Enabling secure cross-border cancer research - UNCAN-Connect delivers interoperable technical components and federated services that enable discovery, access, and analysis of distributed cancer data while data remains under the control of its original holders.
Harmonised Data Pipelines
Making heterogeneous cancer data usable for research - The project develops and validates harmonised data processing pipelines that support the integration, quality assessment, and analysis of diverse cancer datasets across participating nodes within the UNCAN.eu platform.
Validated Clinical Use Cases
Demonstrating real-world scientific value - UNCAN-Connect implements and validates multiple clinical and research use cases across different cancer types, demonstrating how federated data access and advanced analytics can support concrete research questions and evidence generation.
Guidelines, Recommendations & Best Practices
Supporting uptake and long-term impact - Building on technical development and use case results, UNCAN-Connect produces guidelines, recommendations, and best practices covering data governance, platform use, and collaboration models to support the continued use and scalability of the UNCAN.eu ecosystem at European level.
Operational Excellence
Governance & Collaboration
The UNCAN-Connect methodology is implemented through a decentralised governance model, coordinated by the project’s central management structure and supported by 53 partner organisations from 21 countries (19 Member States).
53
Partners
21
Countries
15
WPs
60
Months