We actively participate in and collaborate on various consortia and EU-funded projects, leading or coordinating specific work packages in several of them — reflecting VHIO’s expertise in biomedical, translational, and clinical oncology research.
Academic International Consortia
Led by VHIO:
Cancer Core Europe (CCE) is a consortium established in 2014 to accelerate the development of innovative cancer therapies through collaborative translational and clinical research. Bringing together the expertise of seven leading European cancer research institutes, CCE is dedicated to advancing precision oncology, enhancing clinical trial design, move forward cancer medicine, and training the next generation of researchers and clinician-scientists.
Since 2023, VHIO has proudly led the consortium under the chairmanship of Dr. Josep Tabernero, driving CCE’s mission to transform cancer care across Europe.
The consortium is composed of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre (United Kingdom), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) & National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg (Germany), Gustave Roussy (France), Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano (Italy), Netherlands Cancer Institute (Netherlands), and the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (Spain).
CCE’s initiatives are structured around four core pillars: clinical trials and translational research, the Virtual Data Center (VDC), early detection and prevention, and education and training.
VHIO participates in:
Joint Actions
EUnetCCC (Joint Action) – 101183407 — EUnetCCC JA — EU4H-2023-JA-3-IBA
The Joint Action European Network of Comprehensive Cancer Centers (EUnetCCC) aims to establish a certification scheme, capacity building, and subsequent certification of at least 100 CCCs across Europe by 2028. Building on that, a strong focus lies in the connection of these CCCs and creating a framework for Networking activities.
VHIO builds on its experience from CCI4EU and its OECI accreditation and supports the certification through contributing as auditing experts and reviewing of the proposed certification standards. Additionally, VHIO acts as a CCC- Coordinator for the Research Domain in the Capacity Building Work Package, providing tailored support to centers going through the certification process. In the Networking Activites Work Package, VHIO is co-leading the Clinical Trial Task, and actively contributing to multiple other Tasks including clinical guidelines, precision diagnostics, secondary use of data and survivorship.
JANE2 (Joint Action) 101183265 — JANE-2 — EU4H-2023-JA-3-IBA
The Joint Action on Network of Expertise (JANE2) aims to establish 7 Networks of Expertise (NoEs) along the cancer patient pathway (i.e. Poor Prognosis Cancers, Palliative Care, Survivorship, Personalized Primary Prevention, Omics, Hi-tech and medical resources and Adolescents and Young Adults (AYAs). These Networks are based on the concept of cross-border health networking and bring together experts across Europe.
VHIO is mainly focusing its efforts on the Survivorship and AYA NoEs, and contributing to the poor prognosis cancer domain for lung and pancreatic cancers. With this, VHIO contributes to the shaping of recommendations for a future European ecosystem. In line with that, VHIO and the hospital campus in parallel aim to implement these recommendations at a local level. Noteably, VHIO is co-leading the Task on the Evaluation and Sustainability of the Survivorship program.
JA PCM (Joint Action) – 101233450 — JA PCM — EU4H-2024-JA-IBA-03
The Joint Action on Personalized Cancer Medicine (JA PCM) aims to extend knowledge of and access to Personalized Cancer Medicine across Europe. This should be achieved through harmonization of and capacity building on personalized prevention, personalized medicine and personalized follow-up and tertiary prevention.
VHIO is extensively involved in multiple aspects of the initative; Leading the Pilot on the Establishment of a supranational Molecular Tumor Board, Leading a Task on MTB Data Harmonization and Standardization as well as Advanced Trainings for PCM Innovations for (aspiring) CCCs. Furthermore, VHIO supports various Tasks across the JA and aims to actively participate in Pilot Activities on Prevention, Liquid Biopsies, and Digital Survivorship, which will both build capacity and readiness across Europe and boost implementation on a local level.
International Collaborative Projects
Led by VHIO:
PragmaTIL (Pragmatic Approach to Adoptive Cell Therapy (ACT) Using Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TIL) in Selected Solid Tumors) is a multicenter European Commission Horizon 2020-funded consortium compressed by 12 renowned facilities across five European countries and Israel. Including some of Europe’s largest TIL (tumor infiltrating lymphocyte)-producing hospitals.
PragmaTIL seeks to optimize TIL-based cell therapy in patients with melanoma, lung cancer, and cervical cancer, as well as significantly increase and improve clinical implementation of this treatment (TIL-ACT paired with ANV419) in academic hospital, for the benefit of patients and society.
CCE_DART aims to incorporate newer and more effective methods into the design, conduct, and analysis of academic clinical trials. Built around Cancer Core Europe (CCE)—a network of leading comprehensive cancer research centers—and the Basket of Baskets (BoB) Clinical Trial, a modular, multi-country, investigator-led precision medicine study, the project focuses on several key objectives.
These include developing advanced digital tools to streamline trial management and support clinical decision-making; employing innovative trial methodologies and novel statistical designs to enhance efficiency and accuracy; integrating cutting-edge imaging techniques and molecular markers to gain a deeper understanding of tumor drug response; and ensuring patient empowerment and active involvement throughout the research process, placing their perspectives and needs at the center of trial design and implementation.
Basket of Baskets (BoB) is a multicenter trial that aims to evaluate targeted agents in molecularly selected populations with advanced solid tumors. The BoB study is a phase 2, open-label trial involving patients with specific tumor alterations.
The project is sponsored by Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) on behalf of Cancer Core Europe (CCE), under Eudra CT number: 2017-005108-89
The “VHIO International Postdoctoral Program for Translational Research” aims to nurture excellent postdoctoral fellows to advance research, personalised medicine in oncology and patient health care in Europe. The programme has received one of the COFUND grants under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Program, part of the European Union’s Horizon Europe Program.
VHIO VIDA offers a wide range of research opportunities spanning the entire spectrum of oncology and cancer research, showcasing the program’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101179122.
The Systemic IMMunological determinants of tumor evolution and therapy response in BRCA-mutated pancreatic cancer – SIMMBAP aims to improve early detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer in high-risk individuals by studying how systemic immunity and tumor development interact. The project focuses on identifying noninvasive biomarkers and therapeutic targets using blood samples, single-cell multiomics, and advanced computational tools. It brings together clinicians, biologists, and data scientists to uncover actionable changes, especially in patients with BRCA1/2 mutations.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No. 964264.
VHIO participates in:
Private International Alliances
