NCU Board meeting on 13 November 2019 in Copenhagen
NCU joins European Fair Pricing Network (EFPN)
The European Fair Pricing Network (EFPN) aims at achieving fair prices of cancer medicines and, more broadly, at working towards a pharmaceutical market, which produces accessible and truly innovative medicines for patients. EFPN will include a research network as well as advocacy. It should be facts based and results driven.
Annual NCU awards for joint nordic cancer research projects
After recommendations from the NCU Scientific Committee, grants were awarded to 15 nordic cancer research projects. The committee’s assessment is based on scientific quality, quality of researchers, level of Nordic synergy, and relevance to NCU’s strategy.
The total amount awarded was 750.000 euro.
Link: See information regarding projects awarded
The NCU Research Grant Committee met on 30 October 2019 in Copenhagen. Members of the committee are Eirikur Steingrimsson from Iceland, Johan Poulsen from Faroe Islands, Klaus Peter Elenius from Finland, Klas Kärre from Sweden and Elsebeth Lynge from Denmark (chair of the committee). The committee evaluated 34 applications applying for a total amount of 3.2 mio Euro. In total, 750,000 Euros were available for allocation, and 16 applications were recommended for a grant. This means that 23% of the amount applied for were recommended for funding; and 47% of the applications were funded for part of the amounts applied for.
Most of the applications came from clinicians coordinating studies with patient recruitment from two or more Nordic countries, and eventually collaborating with laboratories in other countries for analysis of samples. The NCU funding makes it possible to undertake clinical studies not of direct interest for the drug industry, e.g. testing of now surgical procedures. Several applications came from epidemiologists utilizing the Nordic population- and health registers. As an example, the NCU has now for many years supported the NOCCA study where combined data on occupation, industry and cancer incidence make it possible to identify cancer risks related to social position and work place.
NCU funding provides a very valuable basis for establishing professional networks across the Nordic countries. This is important, as the Nordic public health care system and registers provide research possibilities rarely found elsewhere. In this way, the NCU funding can serve also as seed money for joint applications to other funding agencies.
Grants awarded to 2 NCU Strategic Projects
The NCU Board decided in February 2019 to initiate a process regarding project proposals on the following two strategic themes
- Increasing the knowledge on socioeconomic inequality – including marginalised groups and migrant populations for both prevention (information and intervention) and better and equal cancer care
- Snus – definitely a large problem area of smokeless tobacco, including vaporing. (New Tobacco Products, snus and e-cigarettes)
Calls for applications were announced during spring 2019.
- The NCU Board decided 13. November 2019 to award grants to the following projects:
- Cancer epidemiology and screening participation among non-western immigrant women in the the Nordic countries
- Nordic Adolescents and the New Nicotine Market (NADNIC)
The projects are each awarded with 150.000 euro and have a timeframe of 2 years.