The European Commission has initiated a voting poll to inaugurate a new cycle of Thematic Networks under the EU Health Policy Platform.

Under the leadership of the European Society of Radiology (ESR), in collaboration with the European Federation for Cancer Images (EUCAIM), a proposal for a new thematic network titled “Advancing Precision Medicine for Europe’s Cancer Patients with AI-powered Imaging” has been submitted for consideration within the public health area of “Unlocking the power of artificial intelligence against cancer”.

This initiative aims to transform cancer care by seamlessly integrating AI-powered imaging with other diagnostic tools and data, enhancing the implementation of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the EU Cancer Mission.

Help make a difference by casting YOUR VOTE for this proposal on the Health Policy Platform’s Agora Network!

⏳ Deadline: May 21st

More information about the voting process and proposal here

EuCanImage is hosting a free workshop on AI in multi-country oncology, not only from technical, but also clinical perspective. Additionally, attendees will gain practical experience with the EuCanImage data collection and the platform for individual studies during a hands-on session. The workshop is tailored for clinical and technical AI scientists keen on conducting their own multi-centre AI research.

When: 10 June 2024
Where: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Cost: Free of charge
Registration deadline: 27 May 2024

The workshop committee:
Martijn Stramans, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Maciej Bobowicz, Medical University of Gdansk, Poland
Karim Lekadir, University of Barcelona, Spain

Sign up here: https://forms.office.com/e/dm3fMeMAGq
More information about the workshop: https://eacr.org/conference/eucanimageworkshop2024/index
Read about EuCanImage: https://eucanimage.eu/

We are thrilled to announce that EIBIR in collaboration with ESR will be hosting an insightful webinar focused on the significant impact of cancer imaging research and the digital transformation of healthcare.

This webinar aims to explore the intersection of cancer imaging research and the digital transformation of healthcare, with a focus on digital infrastructures, AI and lung cancer screening. By bringing together experts and stakeholders, we seek to foster discussions on the latest developments, challenges, and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field.

🎯 Target Audience:

• Healthcare professionals
• Researchers in medical imaging and oncology
• Industry professionals in healthcare technology and AI development
• Policy makers and healthcare administrators

📝 Agenda:

1. Welcome and introduction (Regina Beets-Tan)
2. The European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research – what does EIBIR hold for you? (Regina Beets-Tan)
3. Harnessing AI for Cancer Imaging in the Era of Digital Transformation (Luis Marti-Bonmati)
4. Advancements in Lung Cancer Screening (Hans-Ulrich Kauczor)
5. Interactive panel discussion (Moderated by Regina Beets-Tan)

📅 Date & Time: Wednesday, May 8th, 2024, 15:00 CEST.

🔗 Registration Link: https://form.jotform.com/241121290151339

⏳ Registration Deadline: Tuesday, May 7th, 16:00 CEST.

Don’t miss this chance to delve into the forefront of cancer imaging research with EIBIR and ESR! Register now to secure your spot and be part of this insightful discussion.

The webinar is officially accredited by EACCME® for 1 European CME credit. Each medical specialist should claim only those hours of credit that he/she actually spent in the educational activity.

The European Commission has recently announced a substantial increase in the budget allocated to the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023-2024. The amendment sees a rise of almost EUR 1.4 billion, bringing the total budget to EUR 7.3 billion. This increase includes approximately EUR 124 million allocated specifically to support the EU Cancer Mission. 

The amendment introduces six new Cancer Mission calls, which formally opened on April 18, 2024, and close on September 18, 2024. These calls target crucial areas of cancer research and treatment, ranging from enhancing data platforms to advancing early detection methods and improving the management of late-effects in adolescents and young adults with cancer.  

Furthermore, the amendment introduces public procurement actions aimed at enhancing synergies with other EU missions, fostering international collaboration on cancer research, and ensuring effective communication and stakeholder engagement. These actions are backed by a budget of approximately EUR 5 million. 

The Health cluster within Horizon Europe also introduces a new call focusing on Implementation research for managing multiple long-term conditions in the context of non-communicable diseases, with a budget of EUR 1 million. 

For more information and details on the Horizon Europe Work Programme amendments, visit HaDEA’s website or the European Commission’s press release about the amendment. 

For further information on relevant calls, visit our section Open Funding Calls. 

Horizon Europe, the EU’s primary funding programme for research and innovation, has announced 6 calls for proposal under the Mission on Cancer, providing approximately €116 million to address this disease from prevention to treatment. This latest initiative will support improving our understanding of cancer, advancing prevention and early detection strategies, facilitating the delivery of personalised care, and enhancing the quality of life for patients and survivors.

Funding is available for 6 topics:
🔹 Use cases for the Uncan.eu research data platform
🔹 Support dialogue towards the development of national cancer data nodes
🔹 Accessible and affordable tests to advance early detection of heritable cancers in the EU
🔹 Support of pragmatic clinical trial programme by cancer charities
🔹 Improving the understanding and management of late-effects in adolescents and young adults with cancer
🔹 Information portal for the European Cancer Patient Digital Centre

The deadline for proposal submission for each call is September 18, 2024.

The HaDEA website provides more information with links to the call descriptions, and an online info day has been organised for April 26 to enable researchers to construct effective proposals for this great opportunity.

EUCAIM is excited to announce an upcoming webinar dedicated to providing more insights into their open call for new beneficiaries. This webinar presents a unique opportunity for individuals and organisations interested in contributing to cutting-edge cancer research and innovation to learn about joining the EUCAIM consortium. The open call is geared towards incorporating new data into the EUCAIM platform and training, benchmarking, and validating AI algorithms for cancer imaging.

During the webinar, participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the open call process, including eligibility criteria, application requirements, application procedure, etc. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with members of the EUCAIM team.

Don’t miss out on this valuable opportunity to learn more about the EUCAIM open call and how you can contribute to shaping the future of cancer imaging research. Mark your calendars and register now to secure your spot!

Date: April 26th, 2024.
Time: 10:00-11.30 AM CEST.
Location: Online webinar – Link will be sent to all registered participants in due course.
Webinar registration: https://form.jotform.com/240983490161054
Further information about the Open Call: https://cancerimage.eu/open-call/

The EUCAIM Consortium is thrilled to announce the launch of its open call, inviting new beneficiaries to join the EUCAIM consortium. This call is geared towards incorporating new data into the EUCAIM platform and training, benchmarking, and validating AI algorithms for cancer imaging.

The objectives of the EUCAIM open call are:

• • to onboard new cancer image data holders, enhancing the platform’s geographic dimensions, data modalities, and cancer targets;
  • to include reliable AI algorithms trained on the repository’s cancer image data.

To achieve these objectives, new beneficiaries will implement data incorporation, scientific, and/or clinical use cases. These use cases play a pivotal role in outlining technical, ethical, and legal steps, ultimately improving clinical outcomes and patient care.

The following use cases are accepted for this call:

• • Incorporation of large amounts of cancer imaging data into the Cancer Image Europe platform for further re-use, which can be leveraged to address relevant clinical questions (either into the central repository or through the federation of local repositories)
  • Development, training, benchmarking and/or validation of AI algorithms
  • Clinical use cases addressing a specific question (e.g. identification of imaging biomarkers)

The prospective implementation duration for applicants is expected to be between 18-24 months, with a total maximum budget of 3,852,000 EUR (1,926,000 EUR EC contribution).

Deadline for submission is June 10th, 2024. Interested parties are encouraged to visit https://cancerimage.eu/open-call/ for further details on the open call. If you wish to apply, this is the link for the application form: https://form.jotform.com/240802834247354

Don’t miss this opportunity to contribute to advance cancer research and innovation!

Exciting news! The European Commission has released information on the new EU4Health call: CR-g-24-37 Call for proposals to support integration of cancer images into the federated pan-European infrastructure to foster screening programmes. The tentative calendar of the upcoming call can be found here.

Expected Outcome

The action will support hospitals and other imaging repositories, for example those involved in conducting cancer screening, in creating enabling conditions for becoming a node in the European federated infrastructure of cancer imaging data. Short-term improvements include strengthening the collaboration between national and regional screening programmes for breast, lung and prostate cancers, with the European Cancer Imaging Infrastructure in particular regarding the management of the screening data and opportunistic screening (as opposed to organised, population-based screening programmes) and with the relevant infrastructures of the proposed European Health Data Space, such as HealthData@EU. The project beneficiaries are expected to represent a wide range of relevant stakeholders such as researchers, NGOs, experts, Member States institutions and industry.In the mid-term, this action is expected to increase the geographical reach of the European Cancer Imaging Initiative. It will also contribute to the alignment of the European Cancer Imaging Infrastructure with the proposed EHDS infrastructures and processes. Close collaboration of projects participants is expected with the European Cancer Imaging Initiative, in particular the EUCAIM project, and with relevant stakeholders involved in the implementation of the proposed EHDS regulatory framework. Links should be established with EU4Health actions on screening, Comprehensive Cancer Centres in Member States and other relevant actions under the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and Cancer Mission, as well as with other relevant actions concerning the proposed EHDS. The action shall contribute to other relevant actions under the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the Cancer Mission.

Scope

The action will provide enabling support for cancer imaging data providers, to contribute to and benefit from the European Cancer Imaging Initiative. The action will improve readiness of national, regional or local imaging data repositories to connect and make available their data via the European infrastructure of cancer images data established under the DIGITAL programme (EUCAIM project) and to use this infrastructure for data enrichment and insights by accessing the nodes, tools and methodologies offered by EUCAIM. This action is relevant for the proposed European Health Data Space. In order to contribute to the planned EHDS, this action will seek alignment with the relevant EHDS infrastructures (MyHealth@EU and HealthData@EU). Where applicable, it will link cancer imaging databases with the relevant bodies and infrastructures in the proposed EHDS, particularly health data access bodies and HealthData@EU. This action will also explore ways to leverage on the EHDS interoperability specifications for the European Electronic Health Record exchange Format, including relevant eHealth Network guidelines, as well as minimum specifications for datasets to be used for research and innovation.

Total budget: €8 000 000

Indicative publication date: June 18th, 2024

Submission deadline: October 10th, 2024

Stay tuned for more information on EUCAIM’s website and the EC funding and tenders portal.

We have great news to share with all of you! On March 14th, 2024, EUCAIM is organising a webinar to go through the Cancer Image Europe platform.

The webinar is for AI innovators and data providers that are interested in the platform. This webinar will feature an introduction to EUCAIM and Cancer Image Europe, as well as a demonstration of data exploration and access.

This is your opportunity to learn how to access and utilize our federated cancer image repository!

👉 Sign up here