FORCE

The 'Fostering Oncology Research by Charities in Europe' consortium (FORCE) is a network of 15 European charities across 12 European countries joining forces to support pragmatic clinical trials tackling high and unmet medical needs in oncology in Europe. The main objective of the FORCE CSA is to provide the Mission Board with an ambitious, yet feasible, programme by & for cancer charities, to optimize their contribution to the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. The Pragmatic Clinical Trial Programme will be elaborated in a bottom-up coordinated approach, involving all relevant stakeholders (researchers and professionals from different disciplines, patients, citizens, policy makers and regulatory authorities) across Member States and Associated Countries. During the CSA, the FORCE consortium will propose foundational pillars for EU strategic support to a European cancer charities network dedicated to organising, implementing and monitoring sustainable and ambitious support for cancer pragmatic clinical trials. The overall objectives of this initiative are to: 1. Define and deliver a Pragmatic Clinical Trial Programme by cancer charities; 2. Implement two transnational calls to test and improve our proposed programme (feasibility step); 3. Deliver to the EC a blueprint on pragmatic oncology clinical trials by charities to facilitate decision-making and provide guidelines for the future work programme. Through the successful achievement of these objectives, the FORCE network will both strengthen cooperation among European cancer charities and mobilise the European research community through crucial scientific questions to improve health outcomes for cancer patients through patient-focused research. This action is part of the Cancer Mission cluster of projects on "Diagnostics and treatment".