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Call for Proposals: European Cancer Patient Digital Centre

Deadline: 18/09/24

The European Commission (EC) is pleased to announce a call for proposals to design, develop, deploy and operate a pilot information portal of the ECPDC to support the information needs of patients, survivors and caregivers and covering all the spectrum of the cancer patient journey.

Improving the quality of life of cancer patients, survivors and their families is one of the objectives of the Mission on Cancer and the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. The future European Cancer Patient Digital Centre (ECPDC) will provide digital services to support cancer patients, survivors and caregivers to facilitate their access to quality information and data sharing. Specific Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are developed and implemented to timely update the information provided and facilitate the user experience.

The goal of the Mission on Cancer is to improve the lives of more than 3 million people by 2030, through prevention, cure and for those affected by cancer including their families, to live longer and better. The objectives include: Understand; Prevent what is preventable; Optimise diagnostics and treatment; Support quality of life; Ensure equitable access in all aforementioned areas. The Mission on Cancer will address all cancers including poorly-understood cancers Includes refractory cancers or cancer subtypes, at any stage of the disease in any age group and part of society with a 5-year overall survival that is less than 50% from time of diagnosis. in men and women, cancers in children, adolescents and young adults as well as in the elderly, cancers in socio-economically vulnerable populations, living in either cities, rural or remote areas, across all Member States and Associated countries.

Scope

  • Proposals should address all the following:
    • Design, develop and deploy, a pilot ECPDC information portal to complement the existing Knowledge Centre on Cancer (KCC). The knowledge base of the information portal will cover the cancer patient journey from diagnosis to life after cancer. It will provide evidence-based information on diagnosis, treatment options (including side-effects and late-effects of treatments such as fatigue, chronic pain, fertility, psychological and other health issues), rehabilitation, management of recurrence and palliative care.
    • The information to include in the knowledge base, complements information provided through the KCC, adding to it and expanding its contents. Attention should be given also onto those cancers with a 5-year overall survival less than 50% from time of diagnosis and as well as to those relevant to paediatric cancers. It relies on scientific evidence and European, international or, where relevant, national guidelines.
    • The selection of the information provided to the users should be based on explicit and robust criteria and be transparent.
    • Provide a validated workflow for reviewing, selecting and timely updating the knowledge base when new clinical information and scientific evidence arise. The development and implementation of human centric AI-based tools may facilitate the reviewing, selecting and updating process.
    • An AI-based virtual assistant is implemented in the portal to interact with users and improve their experience by delivering information tailored to user cultural background, individual (clinical) circumstances, needs, preferences and/or expectations. This virtual assistant should be designed and tested in real-world patient populations for acceptability and value provided. Language should be non-technical and using lay terms.
    • All the developed IT-solutions and workflows should be open source and made available. The involvement of AI-researchers, clinicians, epidemiologists, guideline developers, service design specialists and patient organisation representatives are envisaged.
    • The pilot ECPDC information portal should also include other information that may be relevant to cancer patients and survivors and their families such as options to cross-border health care, participation to clinical research, psychosocial and legal support options, guidance and support for returning to study or to work, financial issues and survivors’ rights.
    • To ensure an efficient and useful digital platform for patients, the pilot ECPDC information portal should be tested and validated by an appropriate number of cancer patients and survivors of different cancer types and age groups. Solutions to identified challenges should be provided and implemented. The action will also identify gaps in information relevant to patients and inform policy decisions.
    • A feasibility assessment of linking the pilot ECPDC information portal to the Knowledge Centre on Cancer, including operational solutions and sustainability, should be provided.
    • Regular monitoring, supervision and evaluation by KPIs should be conducted in order to ensure patient benefit.

Outcomes

  • Proposals under this topic should aim to deliver results that are directed and tailored towards and contribute to the following expected outcomes:
    • The ECPDC information portal is an entry point to quality information for cancer patients, survivors, their families and care givers, covering the cancer patient journey from diagnosis to treatment and post treatment care and life after cancer.
    • The ECPDC information portal complements the Knowledge Centre on Cancer (KCC) by integrating additional trusted information on cancers beyond what is currently available in the KCC.
    • The ECPDC information portal implements human-centric AI-based solutions to manage and systematically update the information provided to the users and to facilitate the user experience.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Affiliated entities 
    • Affiliated entities are eligible for funding if they are established in one of the eligible countries, or in a country identified in the specific call/topic conditions.
  • Associated partners 
    • Entities not eligible for funding (and therefore not able to participate as beneficiaries) may participate as associated partners, unless specified otherwise in the specific call/topic conditions.
  • Coordination and Support Actions 
    • To be eligible to participate as beneficiaries (or affiliated entities) in ‘Coordination and support’ actions, legal entities must be established in a Member State or Associated Country, unless the specific call/topic conditions provide otherwise (in which case the general rules for eligibility for funding apply). Legal entities established in a non-associated third country may, however, participate in ‘Coordination and support’ actions as associated partners, unless this is explicitly excluded by the specific call/topic conditions.
  • EU bodies
    • Legal entities created under EU law may also be eligible to receive funding, unless their basic act states otherwise.
  • International organisations
    • International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding. International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are eligible to receive funding for ‘Training and mobility’ actions or when provided for in the specific call/topic conditions. Other international organisations are not eligible to receive funding, unless provided for in the specific call/topic conditions, or if their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority.
  • beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:
    • at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and
    • at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.

For more information, visit EC.