Work Package 8: Development and Implementation of Network Activities

Lead: OUS CCC (Norway) | Co-leads: IOCN (Romania), Karolinska CCC (Sweden), Sahlgrenska CCC (Sweden)

Summary

Work Package 8 (WP8) aims to release the potential of collaboration among the European (EU) network of Comprehensive Cancer Centres (CCCs) and strengthen their collective impact across Europe. It will address the growing need for structured collaboration across institutions, driven by increasing specialisation, limited expertise, and the shift toward precision medicine with smaller patient cohorts.

Key activities

WP8 offers a broad range of activities designed to foster exchange, learning, and innovation. These include twinning and institutional exchanges, expert seminars and workshops, collegial interviews and peer dialogues, conferences, roundtable discussions, and collaborative teaming through expert groups. These efforts will promote active engagement across all eight thematic areas.

Facilitating the implementation of guidelines: Strengthen the role of CCCs in implementing clinical guidelines, identifying gaps, and sharing experiences to support collaboration to adapt guidelines to different healthcare contexts and improve their relevance and uptake.
Promoting personalised primary and secondary prevention: Enhance the role of CCCs in advancing personalized cancer prevention and screening through the development of Prevention Knowledge Hubs, a combination of digital platforms and local hubs within CCCs for sharing prevention research, tools, and innovations.
Strengthening the cancer research ecosystem: Support CCC in expanding their research capabilities, enabling them to serve as key drivers of excellence in cancer research and innovation.
Accelerating the adoption of precision diagnostics: Advance the fast-track implementation of precision diagnostics infrastructure by promoting standardisation and harmonisation, knowledge exchange, and the development of specialised expertise across centres.
Enabling the secondary use of data in research and governance: Develop frameworks to support secondary use of data and promote standardised data practices to help CCCs create flexible, multipurpose clinical data warehouses to support both care and research.
Advancing clinical trial capacity and collaboration: Reinforce the ability of CCCs to conduct high-quality, multi-centre clinical trials, enhancing their role in Europe’s research landscape and improving access to innovative treatments.
Supporting survivorship programmes in CCCs: Support the development and implementation of comprehensive survivorship programmes tailored to meet the diverse needs of cancer survivors across the EU.
Enhancing governance and leadership in cancer centres: Support improved governance, leadership, and operational efficiency through peer learning and a dedicated leadership academy, helping CCCs grow as sustainable and well-managed institutions.

Expected outcomes

WP8 will provide meaningful opportunities for CCCs to engage in joint activities that enable professionals to grow their skills, share knowledge, and build lasting cross-border connections. When one centre finds a solution, others can implement it within their own context, benefitting from shared access to tools, good practices, and a supportive community that enhances their daily work and long-term impact. Collaboration models will be designed for scalability and adaptability, so successful approaches can be expanded to new thematic areas.

WP8 will help CCCs align with EU priorities, set and adopt shared standards, and become part of a wider network committed to excellence and continuous improvement in cancer services. By fostering alignment between cancer centres and national cancer plans, WP8 will support development of cohesive care ecosystems, create a resilient workforce and pave the way for a future where excellent practice is not a distant benchmark, but a living, shared reality built by the CCC community itself.

Contribution to the Joint Action

WP8 turns strategic goals into structured, real-world collaboration, demonstrating how joint action across institutions, regions, and countries can strengthen cancer care and research in Europe.

At the Joint Action level, WP8 will build a connected and collaborative community of CCCs. It delivers practical tools, tested approaches, and joint initiatives that support long-term EU goals. WP8 will support other WPs by providing tools for building capacity (WP6), raising the ability to perform high-quality care and research (WP5), supporting outreach (WP9), foster engagement of network members (WP7) and commitment for sustainability of the network of CCCs (WP4).

Within the EU network of CCCs, WP8 will create a valuable arena for both certified and aspiring CCCs to engage, share expertise, and benefit from collaboration. It promotes continuous development in care and research, aligns centres with the CCC certification framework, and delivers clear added value to professionals, institutions, and patients. This drives CCCs to move beyond individual excellence, towards a collective, system-wide advancement in cancer care and research across Europe.

For Member States and Associated Countries, WP8 will provide a collaborative framework to activate shared resources, address common challenges, and reinforce national capacities. This directly supports the implementation of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and fosters greater alignment across health systems.