Since the launch of the EBCP and the Mission on Cancer in 2021, there have been over 80 EC callsFootnote 2 published in the areas of cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment, care organisation and survivorship. The Cancer Centre, as acting secretariat of the MG, monitors Belgium’s participation in EU cancer projects whether these are funded through EU4Health, Horizon Europe or other EC Work programmes. Call participation of EU-MS is reported in the Horizon Europe dashboard, and from other EC webpages for different work programmes. Whereas all EU funded projects are listed in ‘The Community Research and Development Information Service’ (CORDIS) website, these are not tagged under the keyword “EBCP”. In general, information on EBCP and MoC implementation (i.e. on EU-MS participation in EU cancer projects) is somewhat fragmented, which warrants the support of the MG in compiling this overview for Belgium. Moreover, some information on the outcomes of competitive calls and which institutions applied are considered confidential, with access granted only to EU-MS nominated National Contact Points (NCPs).
How EC funding is used in the health system and ‘who does what’ is an issue of public accountability and transparency. This is particularly relevant for the EBCP and MoC outputs that should be easily findable and accessible to those who need it for intervention. Taking stock of what has been implemented shows where strategic investments are made.
As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, Belgium participates in European projects across all cancer domains, casting a wide net for improvements in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment, care and survivorship. More information on the EU projects of the Cancer Center for the period 2021–2023 is available in Additional file 1.
Belgium’s participation in the EBCP projects for the period 2021–2023*
*Note: [1] The EU calls listed here are those related to cancer in the EU4Health programme. We are using the participation of the Cancer Centre in the EU4Health Programme as a proxy to Belgium’s participation in the EBCP; [2] Some calls can fund several projects. When this is the case, the projects are counted just once for a better correspondence with the number of EU call openings
Belgium’s participation in the Mission on Cancer for the period 2021–2022
Note: Latest available data on EU calls and BE projects funded by the Horizon Europe programme Cluster 1 Health and the Mission on Cancer. The calls are categorized based on their link to the 13 Mission on Cancer recommendations; [2] Some calls can fund several projects. When this is the case, the projects are counted just once for a better correspondence with the number of EU call openings
Although participation seems lower in the area of prevention in comparison to the number of EU calls that were open, this is not necessarily a reflection of the number, nor the quality or performance of existing cancer prevention activities in Belgium. For instance, the number of European projects and calls shown in Figs. 2 and 3 does not reflect the amount of funding allocated overall, or to the Belgian partners. In any given call topic/area, low EU-MS participation can be due to several factors. An important obstacle to EBCP implementation and participation in EU projects can be, for example, the lack of alignment of certain EU calls with existing national programs and interventions. MS participation is also rationalized based on contextual factors, such as governmental priorities given the policy cycle, existing infrastructures, the availability of co-funding, human resources, as well as cultural norms and values.
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