The cooperation agreement signed in Munich between the Bavarian Centre for Cancer Research (BZFK) and the Austrian Comprehensive Cancer Network (ACCN) of the Medical Universities of Vienna, Graz and Innsbruck is strategically anchored in the EU Mission Cancer. The agreement marks the beginning of one of the first transnational partnerships between cancer centres in Europe. Its aim is to further improve the lives of cancer patients by promoting cancer research and optimising the care landscape. The science and health ministries of Austria and Bavaria support this initiative.
The agreement will be signed in the presence of high-ranking representatives of the Bavarian State Government, representatives of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Women, Science and Research, and representatives of the Comprehensive Cancer Centres and rectorates of the three Austrian medical universities. The signing ceremony will take place during the five-year anniversary celebrations of the BZKF, which serves more than 13 million people with six university cancer centres.
The cooperation between the ACCN and the BZKF is one of the first transnational partnerships between leading oncology centres in Europe and is explicitly aligned with the goals of the EU's Mission Cancer. The aim of the collaboration is to establish a regional oncology excellence hub in the heart of Europe to promote joint clinical trials, translational research, digital innovation, training and prevention. The intention is to create transnational networks that will benefit every citizen, from prevention to cancer treatment.
"Research, medical care and progress must not end at national borders. With the partnership between the ACCN and the BZKF, we are sending a strong European signal in the fight against cancer – mission-oriented, patient-centred and forward-looking. Because only together and across all borders can we overcome the major health challenges of our time," emphasises Eva-Maria Holzleitner, Austrian Federal Minister for Women, Science and Research.
The Austrian Comprehensive Cancer Network (ACCN) brings together the three university Comprehensive Cancer Centres in Vienna, Graz and Innsbruck to form a national alliance for excellence in oncology. As the official Austrian partner of the EU Mission Cancer, the ACCN aims to establish precision medicine, early clinical trials, joint tumour boards and national education programmes – in close coordination with ministries and European partner networks as well as patients and their relatives.
The new cooperation shows how regional collaboration can contribute to the implementation of global strategies such as Mission Cancer. The core areas of the cooperation include:
