The Norwegian hub was recently formally approved as a national Cancer Mission Hub by the General Assembly of the EU project ECHoS. The Norwegian model received strong praise from European stakeholders currently establishing similar hubs, and Norway now has one of the 17 recognised hubs in Europe.
ECHoS is funded by the European Union to support the establishment of national Cancer Mission Hubs and to ensure that the EU Mission on Cancer is implemented at national, regional, and local levels across Europe. The Research Council of Norway, the Norwegian Cancer Society, and Oslo Cancer Cluster are partners in ECHoS and have led the application process.
Ingrid Stenstadvold Ross, CEO of the Norwegian Cancer Society, says the approval demonstrates that Norway has done solid work:
“This is an important recognition of the efforts we have made to bring stakeholders together and establish strong structures for collaboration. The approval shows that we are well positioned to contribute to the European effort and to ensure that patients in Norway benefit from developments in Europe. This has been important for the Norwegian Cancer Society ever since the launch of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the Mission on Cancer in 2021.”
Positive feedback
Marine Jeanmougin, Lead EU Affairs and Digital Innovation at Oslo Cancer Cluster, presented the Norwegian model to the General Assembly. The feedback was entirely positive. Several highlighted that Norway has been active in the ECHoS collaboration, sharing its experiences while also drawing inspiration from others, including in the development of the national cancer strategy.
Ketil Widerberg, general manager of Oslo Cancer Cluster, says the response made a strong impression:
“I expected a good discussion, but not to be so moved. Positive comments poured in from partners across Europe. It affected us deeply because it is about more than an application being approved. It is about others recognising the value of the Norwegian way of working: trust, openness, and the ability to bring together research, patients, authorities, and industry. This is what we do every day at Oslo Cancer Cluster, and it is the connection that will make the Mission on Cancer tangible for patients.”
Long-term effort
Norway established a national hub even before ECHoS was launched in 2023, but chose to wait until the third round before submitting the application for official approval.
“When we established the Norwegian hub, the goal was to ensure that Norway could both contribute to and benefit from the European Union’s Mission on Cancer. Much of the work has been developed along the way, and the hub has grown into a strong national platform where research, healthcare services, authorities, industry, and patient and user organisations come together around shared goals. We chose to use the application process to clarify our future objectives for the hub. We now have a clear direction and are ready to realise further ambitions together,” says Ole Johan Borge, Director at the Research Council of Norway.
With Norway’s approval, there are now 17 national Cancer Mission Hubs in Europe. Together, they will help achieve the EU’s goals of improved prevention, earlier diagnosis, and better treatment for cancer patients.