Tallinn, Estonia, 8-9 October
The UNCAN-Connect project officially launched in Tallinn, marking the start of a five-year initiative to transform how cancer research is conducted across Europe. Funded by the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme, the €29.9 million project brings together 53 partner organizations from 19 countries to co-develop UNCAN.eu, a decentralized collaborative platform enabling secure, ethical, and interoperable access to cancer data. UNCAN-Connect will validate its platform through use cases targeting six cancer types – paediatric, lymphoid, pancreatic, ovarian, lung, and prostate cancer, and will promote open access to cancer data while respecting patients’ rights and privacy.
The two-day Kick-Off event brought together key representatives from the European Commission and nearly 150 consortium members from partner organisations, showcasing a shared European ambition to transform cancer research through collaboration and innovation.
“The EU Mission on Cancer is a key initiative addressing one of society’s greatest health challenges, with the goal of improving the lives of more
than 3 million people by 2030,” said Dr Ioannis Vouldis, Project Manager at HaDEA. “With UNCAN-Connect we are taking a major step forward – building an open-source, federation-of-federations platform (UNCAN.eu) to securely share cancer data across Europe. Over the next five years, this €30 million Horizon Europe project will connect researchers, clinicians, and citizens to accelerate discovery and improve cancer outcomes across six major cancer types.”
The event also featured interventions from Karmen Joller, Minister of Social Affairs of Estonia, Annika Nowak, Head of Sector at DG RTD and Head of the Cancer Mission Secretariat, Jérôme de Barros from DG for Health & Food Safety (DG SANTE), Angelo Solimini from DG for Research and Innovation (DG RTD), and Aleksandra Wesołowska from DG for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT). Together, they underscored the role of European cooperation in aligning policy, research, and digital innovation to create a more integrated and data-driven response to the cancer challenge.
The Kick-off Meeting gathered project partners and leading experts to align on the project’s scientific, technical, and governance goals. “UNCAN-Connect strengthens Europe’s cancer data network, promotes open science, and makes cancer research and care more precise and efficient. Even within small Estonia we are diverse – so you can imagine the diversity across all of Europe. Over the next five years, we will unite the experience and expertise of researchers, clinicians, patient representatives, IT professionals, and other specialists, bridging the technical and clinical sides of cancer data. By working together, we will achieve results that no single country could accomplish alone,” said Kadi-Liis Veiman, UNCAN-Connect Project Lead.
The second day of the Kick-Off focused on building alignment and fostering collaboration among all consortium partners. Discussions centered on establishing effective connections and workflows, ensuring mutual understanding of roles, and setting the foundation for seamless cooperation.
The Kick-Off event set the tone for a new chapter of European cooperation in cancer research. By connecting expertise, data, and ambition across borders, UNCAN-Connect will drive the collective progress needed to make a lasting difference for cancer patients.
Key facts about UNCAN-Connect
UNCAN-Connect is funded under the HORIZON-MISS-2024-CANCER-01 Call of Horizon Europe.
List of UNCAN-Connect Participants:
| No. | Name | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tartu Ulikool | Estonia |
| 2 | Tallinna Tehnikaülikool | Estonia |
| 3 | Nec Laboratories Europe Gmbh | Germany |
| 4 | Linac-Pet Scan Opco Limited | Cyprus |
| 5 | Alia Sante | France |
| 6 | Chino Srl | Italy |
| 7 | Srdc Yazilim Arastirma Ve Gelistirme Ve Danismanlik Ticaret Anonim Sirketi | Turkey |
| 8 | Universidad Del Pais Vasco/ Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea | Spain |
| 9 | Artificial Intelligence Expert Srl | Romania |
| 10 | Instituto Pedro Nunes Associacao Para A Inovacao E Desenvolvimento Em Ciencia E Tecnologia | Portugal |
| 11 | Universitatsklinikum Heidelberg | Germany |
| 12 | Kobenhavns Universitet | Denmark |
| 13 | Fundacio Privada Per A La Recerca I La Docencia Sant Joan De Deu | Spain |
| 14 | Hospital Sant Joan de Déu | Spain |
| 15 | Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University | Ukraine |
| 16 | Hus-Yhtyma | Finland |
| 17 | Karlsruher Institut Fuer Technologie | Germany |
| 18 | Umit Tirol – Private Universitat Fur Gesundheitswissenschaften Und Technologie Gmbh | Austria |
| 19 | Universidade De Coimbra | Portugal |
| 20 | Echr Drustvo S Ogranicenom Odgovornoscu Za Usluge (Nethub) | Croatia |
| 21 | Athina-Erevnitiko Kentro Kainotomias Stis Technologies Tis Pliroforias, Ton Epikoinonion Kai Tis Gnosis | Greece |
| 22 | Nacionalni Institut Za Biologijo National Institute Of Biology | Slovenia |
| 23 | Grupo Oncologico Para El Tratamiento De Las Enfermedades Linfoides – Gotel | Spain |
| 24 | Fundacio Eurecat | Spain |
| 25 | Sciensano | Belgium |
| 26 | Servicio Madrileno De Salud | Spain |
| 27 | Fundación para la Investigación Biomédica del Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda | Spain |
| 28 | Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum Heidelberg | Germany |
| 29 | Epiteliki Domi Espa Ypourgeiou Ygeias | Greece |
| 30 | Tampereen Korkeakoulusaatio Sr | Finland |
| 31 | Biobanks And Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure Consortium | Austria |
| 32 | Universitatsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein | Germany |
| 33 | Universität zu Lübeck | Germany |
| 34 | Region Hovedstaden | Denmark |
| 35 | Enosi Asthenon Elladas | Greece |
| 36 | Geniko Antikarkiniko Ogkologiko Nosokomeio Athinon O Agios Savvas | Greece |
| 37 | Universiteit Leiden | Netherlands |
| 38 | Tervise Arengu Instituut | Estonia |
| 39 | Stichting Egi | Netherlands |
| 40 | Solita Oy | Finland |
| 41 | Fundacio Institut D’investigació I Innovació Parc Tauli | Spain |
| 42 | Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí de Sabadell | Spain |
| 43 | Academisch Ziekenhuis Groningen | Netherlands |
| 44 | Holos Soluções Avançadas Em Tecnologias De Informação, S.A | Portugal |
| 45 | Istituto Europeo Di Oncologia Srl | Italy |
| 46 | Unidade Local De Saude De Coimbra Epe | Portugal |
| 47 | Akademia Gorniczo-Hutnicza Im. Stanislawa Staszica W Krakowie | Poland |
| 48 | Fundacio Hospital Universitari Vall D’hebron – Institut De Recerca | Spain |
| 49 | Masarykova Univerzita | Czechia |
| 50 | Åbo Akademi | Finland |
| 51 | Sib Swiss Institute Of Bioinformatics | Switzerland |
| 52 | Csem Centre Suisse D’electronique Et De Microtechnique Sa – Recherche Et Developpement | Switzerland |
| 53 | Insel Gruppe Ag | Switzerland |
Acknowledgement
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101104349.
For more information, please contact:
| Kadi-Liis Veiman
Project Coordinator UTARTU – University of Tartu Ülikooli 18, 50090, Tartu, Estonia Email: kadi-liis.veiman@ut.ee Website: www.ut.ee/en, www.estcan.ee |
Nikolina Renić
Dissemination, Communication and Exploitation NETHUB – NetHub Accelerator Poljička cesta 71, 21000, Split, Croatia Email: nikolina.renic@nethub.hr Website: www.nethub.hr |
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.