Local Press Conference held on the 4^th of June 2023, Leresti commune, Arges county 

The EU Cancer Mission arrived, on the 4^th of June in Romania through Lerești commune, Argeș county, together with the 4P-CAN project, financed by the European Union through the Horizon program. The project was officially launched in Bucharest, on May 16-17 and brought together the representatives of 17 European organizations, from 11 countries, which, for four years, will collaborate to research new methods of implementing primary cancer prevention. 

On the occasion of the Lerești Commune Days, the coordinating organization – INOMED, together with the Lerești Commune City Hall and Mayor Marian Toader, organized a local press conference where it was presented how the citizens of the commune will contribute to the implementation of the Living-lab concept in the area, in order to create and validate one of the first personalized primary cancer prevention models in Romania and in the European Union, part of the Cancer Mission initiative. 

“Many of the 13 recommendations of the Cancer Mission refer to the involvement of all actors in achieving them. Whether we call it a battle, a scientific consensus approach, we are all part of this mission. And part of the implementation of the mission is the 4P-CAN project. Our objective is to look at the topic of primary cancer prevention and how to keep ourselves as healthy as possible in a different way, to start from the level of local communities, of citizens, to understand what is important for each of us.”, said Marius Geanta. 

Key outcomes:

• The aim of the local press conference was to make the first step in the Romanian Living-lab setting, to inform the citizens of the initiative and so ensure a smoother adherence when the Personal Network Analysis surveys will kick-start after M6 of the project. 
• The event represents a preliminary action of the Task 5.1 Development of cancer primary prevention focused Living-Lab in Muntenia South region, Arges county, Romania. 
• This was an external event, and the 4P-CAN project was described from the point of view of the primary prevention measures, verbally, by the INOMED team seen in the picture above. It assured the citizens that their voices and participation are important. 
• Outcomes: Setting the stage for the stakeholders mapping, community mapping and Personal Network Analysis to take place in WP5 of the project; Understanding the local landscape and the community structure (the team spent three days, before and after the conference, talking with the local authorities and the local council). 
• Starting in September, more activities will follow. 

Link to the original article