ECHoS Holds Final Meeting in St Julian’s, Malta

On 23–24 June, the European project ECHoS (Establishing Cancer Mission Hubs: Networks and Synergies) held its final meeting in St Julian’s, Malta, bringing together project partners, representatives of European initiatives, and experts from across Europe. The event showcased the achievements of the past three years, including progress in establishing National Cancer Mission Hubs and strengthening collaboration with other European initiatives, while also marking the transition to the project’s next phase.

Establishing National Cancer Mission Hubs Across Europe

The main objective of ECHoS is to advance cancer research, innovation and healthcare by establishing National Cancer Mission Hubs. These hubs will serve as collaborative platforms bringing together government institutions, hospitals, universities, researchers, patient organisations and other stakeholders to support evidence-based cancer policies and facilitate the implementation of European initiatives at national level. The project involved 30 countries, resulting in the establishment of 17 National Cancer Mission Hubs across Europe, including in Poland, Greece, Malta, the Netherlands, Croatia, Sweden, Italy and Finland.

A Key Project Under the EU Cancer Mission

ECHoS is one of the projects contributing to the European Union’s Cancer Mission, which aims to improve the understanding of cancer, cancer prevention and early detection, treatment and quality of life, while reducing inequalities in cancer care across Europe. Achieving these goals requires close collaboration between healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers, patient organisations and other stakeholders – an approach that lies at the heart of the ECHoS project.

Key Achievements and the Transition to ECHoS 2

The final meeting highlighted several key achievements, including the organisation of 14 policy dialogues, successfully organised two Cancer Mission Fairs, established synergies with 17 European initiatives, including EUCanScreen, EUnetCCC and JANE-2. Partners also presented a Business Continuity Model aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of the National Cancer Mission Hubs and supporting the establishment of a European network, which will form the foundation for the next phase of the project, ECHoS 2, launching in July. The new phase will focus on strengthening the capacity of the hubs and ensuring their continued development.

EUCanScreen at the ECHoS Final Meeting

EUCanScreen was represented at the event by Sindija Kiršteine from the University of Latvia, the project’s coordinating institution.