ExpectedOutcome:
The overall goal of the Mission on Cancer[1] and the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan[2] includes a better quality of life for patients and their families living with, and after, cancer.
Project results will support the creation of a virtual European Cancer Patient Digital Centre (ECPDC), which is a federated network of patient controlled (national) health data infrastructures enabling the voluntary exchange of patients and survivors’ health data in a standardised approach, for primary and secondary use.
To that end, proposals under this topic should aim for delivering results that are directed, tailored towards and contributing to all of the following expected outcomes:
Patient-controlled health data networks in Europe show a high level of heterogeneity with regard to the involvement of EU Member States, as well as the types and interoperability of collected data, organisation and governance of data storage, its access and security, and the possibility to reuse data for research purposes.
Proposals should address the existing challenges and develop a roadmap towards the creation of the ECPDC as a virtual, federated network of national infrastructures of patient-controlled health data (‘national or regional nodes’), taking into account synergies with the future UNCAN.eu platform, integrated within a larger European network of infrastructures, to which each Member State should have a single access portal.
The proposals should draw on existing expertise at the EU[3] and national level and on EU- and Member State/Associated Country-tailored procedures for access, use and re-use of patient data. Moreover, synergies with the European Network of Cancer Registries[4] should be established to ensure the ECPDC will create an ecosystem on knowledge of cancer. It could also include a call centre function.
In particular, proposals should take account of the results of a recently launched call on a pilot project for an EU infrastructure ecosystem for the secondary use of health data for research, policy-making and regulatory purposes[5], the future EU legislation on European Health Data Space (EHDS)[6], the future Cancer Survivor Smart-Card[7], the cancer use case under the 1+Million Genomes initiative (1+MG)[8], the Cancer Imaging Initiative[9] as well as the European Open Science Cloud[10]. Successful applicants will be asked to liaise with these different initiatives where applicable[11], with the Commission acting as a facilitator.
Accordingly, proposals should cover all of the following activities:
The funded actions should build upon resources made available by the Knowledge Centre on Cancer[15], and complement actions under the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan[16], including the Cancer Imaging Initiative[17], and the future European Health Data Space[18].
Furthermore, all projects funded under this topic are strongly encouraged to participate in networking and joint activities with other ongoing projects under the mission on cancer (especially with UNCAN.eu) and other cancer relevant projects, as appropriate. These networking and joint activities could, for example, involve the participation in joint workshops, the exchange of knowledge, the development and adoption of best practices, or joint communication activities. This could also involve networking and joint activities with projects funded under other clusters and pillars of Horizon Europe, or other EU programmes, as appropriate.
The Commission may facilitate Mission-specific coordination through future actions. Therefore, proposals should include a budget for the attendance to regular joint meetings and may consider covering the costs of any other potential joint activities without the prerequisite to detail concrete joint activities at this stage. The details of these joint activities will be defined during the grant agreement preparation phase and project duration. In this regard, the Commission will take on the role of facilitator for networking and exchanges, including with relevant initiatives and stakeholders, if appropriate.
Cross-cutting Priorities:EOSC and FAIR data
Artificial Intelligence
Digital Agenda
Societal Engagement
[1]https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/implementation-plans-eu-missions_en
[2]https://ec.europa.eu/health/system/files/2021-02/eu_cancer-plan_en_0.pdf
[5]Funding & tenders (europa.eu)
[6]Future EC proposal on the use of data for healthcare and re-use of data for policymaking, regulatory purposes and research, to be adopted in 2022
[7]As published on the Funding & Tenders Portal
[8]1+ Million Genomes | Shaping Europe’s digital future (europa.eu)
[9]Funding & tenders (europa.eu)
[10]https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/strategy/strategy-2020-2024/our-digital-future/open-science/european-open-science-cloud-eosc_en
[11]Applicants are not expected to contact these initiatives before the submission of proposals
[12]1+ Million Genomes | Shaping Europe’s digital future (europa.eu)
[13]Funding & tenders (europa.eu)
[14]Funding & tenders (europa.eu)
[15]Especially through the ’European Cancer Information System (ECIS)’, see https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/cancer_en
[16]Including the planned Cancer Inequalities Registry, see work programme for 2021 for EU4Health Programme at: https://ec.europa.eu/health/sites/default/files/funding/docs/wp2021_annex_en.pdf.
[17]Funding & tenders (europa.eu)
[18]https://ec.europa.eu/health/ehealth-digital-health-and-care/european-health-data-space_en