At Global Health Connector, the principle of scaling cancer solutions through shared learning is at the heart of our involvement in the CURTAIN, MAYA, 4P-CAN, and PHOENIX projects, in line with the EU Cancer Mission. In these different projects, we connect consortia, patients, and policymakers so that progress made in one project strengthens the whole ecosystem. Below, we look at how shared learning is applied in practice in our projects.

• Shared Learning Accelerates Adoption of Proven Solutions

Cross-sector collaboration

When researchers, clinicians, technicians, patient groups, and policymakers work from a shared evidence base, effective practices spread faster across health systems than they would in isolation. This is the model behind the projects Global Health Connector supports: large, multi-country consortia built to cross sectoral and geographic lines.

CURTAIN brings together 15 partners from 9 countries, including non-EU partners Moldova, Montenegro, and Ukraine, spanning national health institutes, universities, NGOs, and medical centres. MAYA unites 16 partners from 10 countries across medical and technological universities, hospitals, and patient associations. 4P-CAN connects 17 organisations from 11 countries, including Eastern EU and Balkan partners: NGOs, associations, medical universities, governmental institutions, and medical centres. In each case, the diversity of the consortium is the engine of shared learning. 

• Patient and public involvement (PPI) and Co-Creation

Patient and public involvement (PPI) ensures that solutions are shaped by the people who will

use them. Across our projects, this takes different forms.

• CURTAIN builds cancer literacy with citizens, patients, and healthcare professionals as active partners rather than passive recipients of information.
• 4P-CAN’s citizen engagement model was designed specifically to understand real barriers to cancer prevention in Eastern European communities, using that insight to tailor the European Code Against Cancer to local realities.
• MAYA engages adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors as co-researchers, testing its smart-mirror technology in living labs and pilot sites shaped by lived experience.

• Data Sharing and AI Are Expanding Shared Learning 

Modern cancer care increasingly relies on secure collaboration across institutions to identify treatment responses, rare cancer patterns, and new biomarkers, all while protecting patient privacy. Our projects are putting this into practice:

• CURTAIN is developing AI-based digital tools to combat misinformation and improve access to trustworthy cancer information, alongside an interactive stakeholder map now showcasing over 1,000 cancer literacy organisations across Europe.
• MAYA uses AI-driven, personalised monitoring through its smart-mirror technology to track cardiovascular health in young cancer survivors from home. These are concrete examples of how data and AI can extend the reach of shared learning without compromising trust. 

• Clustering: Stronger Together Across the EU Cancer Mission 

No single project can address cancer inequalities alone, which is why clustering across the EU Cancer Mission portfolio is important. 

• 4P-CAN is involved in the Prevention and Early Detection – Implementation Research Cluster along with five other projects to communicate and disseminate knowledge, promote awareness, and foster collaboration to advance cancer prevention strategies at a broader scale.
• MAYA is involved in the Quality of Life AYA Cluster, a collaboration of six projects that work together to improve the quality of life of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) living with and beyond cancer.
• PHOENIX is part of the Diagnosis and Treatment – Innovative Clinical Trials for Paediatric Cancer Cluster, together with two other projects funded under the same Horizon Europe call. Together, the three projects collaborate to accelerate the development of safer and more effective therapies for children and adolescents with cancer.

• Global Cancer Ecosystem

Through its Global Cancer Ecosystem, Global Health Connector actively fosters these connections by bringing together complementary research and innovation initiatives. By facilitating collaboration, it helps projects avoid duplication, leverage shared dissemination channels, and maximize the reach and impact of their results. 

In the end, scaling cancer solutions takes inspiration in (past) successful initiatives to create a culture of shared learning that enables innovation to travel further and faster. By exchanging knowledge, experiences, tools, and evidence, these cancer projects can accelerate the uptake of effective approaches, contributing to earlier cancer detection, more equitable access to care, improved patient outcomes, and stronger collaboration across research, clinical practice, and public health. While challenges such as differences in healthcare systems, data governance, interoperability, and the need to adapt solutions to diverse national and regional contexts remain, these are best addressed through collaboration rather than in isolation. Together, the four projects demonstrate how shared learning can amplify impact beyond individual initiatives, advancing the objectives of the EU Cancer Mission and bringing Europe closer to a future where innovative cancer solutions benefit all citizens.

Contact

Want to hear more about 4PCAN, CURTAIN, MAYA or PHOENIX? Contact Coline Guiol, coline@globalhealthconnector.com or Federica Porcu, federica@globalhealthconnector.com