Mission Cancer

Contributing to major societal challenges through missions is a new feature of Horizon Europe for the period 2021-2026. Horizon Europe missions respond to the needs and challenges defined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Green Deal for Europe and the Europe´s Beating Cancer Plan. There are 5 missions for the programme period:

Cancer
Adaptation to climate change, including social changes
Healthy oceans, seas and coastal and inland waters
Climate neutral and smart cities
Healthy soil and food

The focus of the missions and the calls for the period 2023-2024 are described in more detail in the Horizon Europe Mission Work Programme.

The aim of the missions is to make a specific, measurable, yet sufficiently ambitious contribution to addressing the major challenges facing the world today. The missions integrate the objectives and impacts of sub-projects into a thematic portfolio that corresponds to a broader objective, but whose description allows for the identification of specific measurable indicators that will make a substantial contribution to addressing issues of global importance. Each mission has its own timetable and budget to meet its objectives.

The Cancer Mission will support activities aimed at expanding prevention and improving treatment of cancer, saving more lives and ensuring a better quality of life for patients who have or have had the disease. The mission will run over a ten-year time frame with the aim of saving more than three million lives by 2030 through increased prevention and ensuring that more people live longer and better lives.

Cancer Mission on the EC website Informaction and links about the mission on the European Commission website
Mission area summary Basic information on the mission, its plan and the main lines of activities supported
Conquering cancer, mission possible Recommendations for the orientation and content of the Cancer Mission, developed by an independent expert group of the Commission. 13 points of the recommendations will serve as a basis for the implementation of the Cancer Mission.

Current calls

Addressing poorly-understood tumour-host interactions to enhance immune system-centred prevention, treatment and care interventions in childhood and adult cancer patients

Code: HORIZON-MISS-2023-CANCER-01-01
Action type: RIA
Opening: 12 Jan 2023
Deadline: 12 Apr 2023
Budget (EUR million): 36,68
Expected EU contribution per project (EUR million): 7 - 12
Number of projects expected to be funded: 4

Expected Outcome:

Researchers and health professionals understand tumour-host processes that spur cancer development and progression in patients and how this forms the basis for the future design and optimisation of treatment or care interventions for poorly-understood cancers and their subtypes, including in children, adolescents, adults and the elderly.
Researchers, innovators, and professionals from different disciplines and sectors ensure accessibility and re-usability of their data, models, tools and technology to support the UNCAN.eu36 platform, which is currently in preparation.
Health policy makers are aware of an improved understanding of tumour-host interactions in cancer patients that would allow the co-design of cancer-related innovation and health policies in the Member States, Associated Countries and beyond, including those aimed at delivering treatment and care developing care solutions for and with cancer patients.

Enhance primary cancer prevention through sustainable behavioural change

Code: HORIZON-MISS-2023-CANCER-01-02
Action type: RIA
Opening: 12 Jan 2023
Deadline: 12 Apr 2023
Budget (EUR million): 25
Expected EU contribution per project (EUR million): 4 - 6
Number of projects expected to be funded: 5

Expected Outcome:

Citizens, including people at high risk of developing cancer, cancer patients and survivors benefit from health promotion and primary prevention programmes that reflect behavioural change and psycho-social approaches tailored to the specific needs of different population groups both in urban and rural areas;
Citizens, including people at high risk of developing cancer, cancer patients and cancer survivors benefit from easy-to-understand and accessible, tailored recommendations and support programmes on sustainable behavioural changes55, including psycho-social care, that are easy to implement in their daily lives, including through the use of digital tools to facilitate healthier choices;
Regional, local and national policymakers and authorities, promote healthy environments56 as well as design and implement the most suitable, sustainable health promotion and prevention programmes, which take account of behavioural change and psycho-social requirements.

Pragmatic clinical trials on minimally invasive diagnostics

Code: HORIZON-MISS-2023-CANCER-01-03
Action type: RIA
Opening: 12 Jan 2023
Deadline: 12 Apr 2023
Budget (EUR million): 43
Expected EU contribution per project (EUR million): 6 - 8
Number of projects expected to be funded: 7

Expected Outcome:

Cancer patients and their caregivers have access to optimised and affordable, minimally-invasive diagnostic interventions that increase their quality of life, across European regions, Member States and Associated Countries;
Healthcare professionals and academia deliver better outcomes through routine healthcare, including quality of life, for men and women with cancer who often suffer from sex-related co-morbidities and side-effects;
National healthcare providers, policymakers and authorities in European regions, Member States and Associated Countries will have the evidence to implement optimised and affordable minimally-invasive diagnostics in their healthcare systems, including in everyday medical practice.

Establish best practices and tools to improve the quality of life for childhood cancer patients, survivors and their families in European regions

Code: HORIZON-MISS-2023-CANCER-01-04
Action type: RIA
Opening: 12 Jan 2023
Deadline: 12 Apr 2023
Budget (EUR million): 6
Expected EU contribution per project (EUR million): 6
Number of projects expected to be funded: 1

Expected Outcome:

Childhood cancer patients, survivors and their families benefit from enhanced quality of life through better supportive care, personalised counselling approaches, and digital tools that are accessible and affordable. Consequently, they can better achieve their values and personal life goals.
Health care professionals, supportive workers and councillors enhance the quality of life for childhood cancer patients, survivors and their families.