Posts

Six-month milestone

A Norwegian perspective: The foundations of the ECHoS project are laid and Cancer Mission activities are speeding up in Norway.

Over the initial six months of ECHoS, Oslo Cancer Cluster and its collaborators have made significant contributions towards achieving the project’s goals by increasing awareness and mobilising the Norwegian ecosystem for the EU’s Mission on Cancer.

With its early setup of the National Cancer Mission Hub in 2021, Norway is well-positioned to implement the Cancer Mission. Partners of the national hub are taking part in the European effort to establish similar structures in all member states and associated countries, under the ECHoS project.

“ECHoS provides an opportunity to explore new collaborative formats among stakeholders, including patients and citizens. It paves the way to establish novel partnerships across sectors and create opportunities to foster innovation in cancer care.” Marine Jeanmougin, Lead EU affairs and digital innovation in Oslo Cancer Cluster

 

Political discussions

Two public meetings were organised with politicians, experts, and representatives from different sectors in April and August. The debate revolved around the importance to commit to the Mission, how to use Missions as a tool for political change and how Norway can deliver on the Mission.

At the meeting Fremtidens kreftbehandling in April, key opinion leaders discussed how Norway should commit to the EU’s Mission on Cancer. Photo: Sofia Linden

Raising awareness

During The Economist’s World Cancer Series in Brussels, Ketil Widerberg, general manager of Oslo Cancer Cluster, moderated a panel discussion on cancer prevention. Clinicians, policymakers, and patient advocates discussed: How can equal access to screening be guaranteed? And what strategies can be implemented to adopt innovative methods for cancer detection?

Panel discussion with key opinion leaders at The Economist’s World Cancer Series in Brussel. Photo: Dave Tippett

Engaging stakeholders

Oslo Cancer Cluster recently conducted a working session on multistakeholder cooperation. Discussions addressed the possible challenges in establishing complex partnerships but also the opportunities offered by the mission approach to bring concrete solutions to cancer patients. The event fostered bottom-up thinking among ECHoS partners and tapped into the experience that participants have accumulated within their own ecosystems.

A cross-border, multi-national, virtual workshop with partners from ECHoS work package 3, work task 3, delved into new forms of collaboration towards the Mission on Cancer.

About ECHoS

ECHoS is a European project, funded by Horizon Europe Programme. It aims at supporting the implementation of the Cancer Mission activities in all Member State and Associated Country (MS/AC) through the establishment and development of National Cancer Mission Hubs (NCMHs) operating at national, regional, and local levels.

Read more on the ECHoS website.

Europe united against cancer 

Europe has its own moonshot against cancer!

The European Union has awarded 6 million euros to a consortium of 57 organizations spanning across 28 countries. They have joined forces to fight cancer at all levels of society, by supporting cancer research and innovation, policy development and citizen engagement. 

“The ambitious approach taken by the European Commission to reduce the cancer burden for patients requires a coordinated response from relevant actors across Europe,” commented Marine Jeanmougin, responsible for EU affairs and digitalisation at Oslo Cancer Cluster.

The project is called ECHoS and is coordinated by the Portugese Agência de Investigação Clínica e Inovação Biomédica (AICIB). Oslo Cancer Cluster together with partners of Cancer Mission Hub Norway have contributed from the Norwegian side. 

“The strong collaboration between Oslo Cancer Cluster, the Research Council, the Cancer Society and their partners, has brought Norway to take a central role in ECHoS. The Cancer Mission Hub Norway has the potential to shape best practices, in a joint effort with our European collaborators,” Jeanmougin commented. 

Read the press release (in English)

Read the press release (in Norwegian)

 

Funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Framework Programme. Grant Agreement Nº: 101104587. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. 

Establishing of Cancer Mission Hubs

The European project ECHoS (Establishing of Cancer Mission Hubs: Networks and Synergies) was recommended for funding by the European Commission.

ECHoS (Establishing of Cancer Mission Hubs: Networks and Synergies) aims to support the implementation of the Cancer Mission activities in all member states and associated countries through the establishment and development of Cancer Mission Hubs operating at national, regional and local levels. 

In Norway, a national Cancer Mission Hub has already been set up in a collaborative effort from various actors of the oncology ecosystem. Several members of the hub are active partners in ECHoS, including Oslo Cancer Cluster, the Norwegian Research Council, the Norwegian Cancer Society, Oslo University Hospital and SINTEF. 

 

Funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Framework Programme. Grant Agreement Nº: 101104587. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.