Deadline: 10-Oct-24
The European Commission (EC) is seeking proposals to improve the quality of life of young cancer survivors through improved social networking, using the platform created by the project to strengthen the links between patients and their carers, cancer survivors, as well as social and healthcare professionals across the Union and countries associated to the EU4Health Programme.
Objectives
- This action supports the implementation of the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan to support childhood cancer and implements the EU4Health Programme’s general objective to improve and foster health in the Union (Article 3, point (a), of Regulation (EU) 2021/522) through the specific objectives defined in Article 4, points (a) and (g), of Regulation (EU) 2021/522.
- The overall aim of maintaining the networks is to continue the collaboration between different existing stakeholder organisations and, through this network to further support social networking and further develop user friendly digital tools to easily access the information and improve the links amongst individuals, patients, children, adolescents and young adults (CAYA) cancer survivors, carers, researchers, and social and health professionals active in cancer prevention and care across the Union and countries associated to the EU4Health Programme. In addition, a healthy lifestyle promoting network could also be integrated in the mobile application and website.
- Furthermore, the network will consider relapse/metastatic cancer. The network should support and provide all the necessary information related to metastatic cancer.
- The network will foster social networking, peer-support, coaching, knowledge-exchange, and aims at improving:
- the quality of life of survivors (including mental health, education and career support, follow-up care and transition);
- the care for adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer (including metastatic cancer);
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) along the whole treatment and survivorship trajectory;
- promote healthy lifestyles through interaction and exchange with peers, with people with a similar disease history, with friends as well as with healthcare organisations.
Strand (scope)
- This action is meant to maintain and further develop the ‘EU Network of Youth Cancer Survivors’ to foster social networking, peer-support, coaching, knowledge-exchange and improve the quality of life of young cancer survivors. The action is a follow-up project to the action grants EU4H-2021-PJ-04 (EU-CAYAS-NET project and OACCUs project).
Funding Information
- The estimated available call budget is EUR 25 400 000.
- Topic budget: EUR 5 000 000
- Indicative project budget: 5 000 000
- Expected number of grant agreements to be signed: 1
Duration
- 36 months
Expected Impact
- The action will:
- improve the communication between children, adolescent, and young adult cancer survivors, formal and informal carers, and civil society;
- strengthen the knowledge on how to make a difference in the lives of young people with cancer and survivors;
- increase the knowledge and support for patients with relapse and metastatic cancer;
- increase the knowledge and support for patients on how to tackle the side-effects of treatments.
- provide resources for survivors to learn how to become an advocate to bring key messages and knowledge on cancer survivorship to main target groups (survivors, healthcare professionals, researchers, health policy makers).
- provide resources for survivors to pursue a healthier lifestyle, notably via sport and physical activities, healthier nutrition and mental wellbeing.
- The action contributes to Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan flagship initiative on paediatric cancer, which specifically mentions the EU Network of Youth Cancer Survivors as being directly linked with the activities of the “Childhood cancers and cancers in adolescents and young adults: cure more and cure better” initiative. This initiative, supported under the Horizon Europe Cancer Mission, will directly benefit from the deliverables of this action.
Activities
- The activities funded can be as follow:
- Further development of the functionalities of the “EU Network of Youth Cancer Survivors” based on user needs;
- the utilisation and incorporation of the results from previous EU-CAYAS-NET and OACCUs projects;
- maintenance, update and improvement of the existent application(s) and website(s) (already created in previous EU-CAYAS-NET and OACCUs projects), and throughout these activities, the action should build up on and seek synergies with other actions funded under the EU4Health programme, such as for example the ‘Cancer Survivor Smart Card’ application;
- (further) creation of a ‘virtual library’, assuring access to reliable, accurate cancer information in different languages;
- the development of strategies for the sustainability of the app’s/website’s functionalities, content, and financing;
- the recommendation for the future and further maintenance/development of the “EU Network of Youth Cancer Survivors”;
- Cover all EU languages;
- Throughout the project, wide visibility of the actions/initiatives of the EU Network will be requested.
Specific action-level Indicators for reporting purposes
- The applicants will include the following specific action-level indicators and related reporting activities in their proposals:
- Estimated number of people reached;
- Number of events, meetings and discussions organised;
- Estimated number of (online) materials available for the EU Network library to support the knowledge on cancer;
- Number of targeted actions to address healthier lifestyle;
- Assessment of the impact of social networking on the quality of life and well-being of young cancer survivors, measured through (patient) feedback.
Deliverables and/or Milestones
- Every 12 months to report on the progress of the project “EU Network of Youth Cancer Survivors”.
- After 18 months, in the middle of the project, to prepare a report on the sustainability, possible self-maintenance of the “EU Network of Youth Cancer Survivors” and possible synergies with other projects.
- Develop a study on the impact of social networking for young cancer survivors.
- Organise at least two events, meetings and/or discussions per year throughout the project.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants – specific eligibility criteria
- Academia and education establishments, research institutes, hospitals, expert networks, civil society organisations, associations, foundations, NGOs and similar entities.
- Consortium composition – Specific eligibility criteria
- A consortium composed of at least 5 applicant organisations established in at least 5 different eligible countries.
- In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
- be legal entities (public or private bodies)
- be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
- eligible non-EU countries:
- listed EEA countries and countries associated to the EU4Health Programme.
For more information, visit EC.