UNCAN.CONNECT

Abstract

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death and illness in Europe, accounting for a quarter of all new cases worldwide every year. If no action is taken, cancer-related deaths are expected to rise by more than 24% by 2035, becoming the leading cause of death in the European Union.

Tackling this challenge requires strong cross-border collaboration. Sharing data across countries can generate valuable insights and speed up discoveries, but it also faces major hurdles: ethical and legal constraints, technical interoperability issues, and the need to fully respect citizens’ rights over their personal information.

The UNCAN.Connect project was created to overcome these barriers. Its mission is to establish a decentralized collaborative network that enables researchers, small and medium-sized enterprises, and innovators to access and share cancer data securely, ethically, and in an interoperable way.

Building on the European UNCAN blueprint, the project will develop an open-source platform that connects existing infrastructures and initiatives such as BBMRI, EOSC4CANCER, CanSERV, and EUCAIM. This platform will be tested through specific use cases focusing on six major cancer types: paediatric cancers, lymphoid malignancies, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, and prostate cancer.

Beyond the technological dimension, UNCAN.Connect relies on active cooperation among researchers, industry, SMEs, end users, and citizens. By fostering openness and collaboration, the project aims to accelerate cancer research, promote open science, and pave the way for new advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment.