These awards stem from the Ireland-Northern Ireland-National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Consortium that was originally established in October of 1999 as a direct result of the Good Friday Agreement. The aim of the consortium was to reduce cancer incidence and mortality on the island of Ireland through cross-border and transatlantic collaborations in cancer research and education.   

Twenty-five years on, and HRB Chief Executive, Dr Mairéad O’Driscoll, said; 

“These HRB awards build on the work of the consortium and are designed to further advance all-island and trans-Atlantic multi-disciplinary cancer research collaborations, networking, and engagement. We are committed to expanding this scheme going forward.” 

Research proposals had to be aligned with the HRB Strategy and National Cancer Strategy for either or both jurisdictions, North and South of the border and include a collaborator from NCI. Applicants were required to address one of the three AICC research priority areas: 1. Cancer care delivery and survivorship, 2. Clinical research and trials and 3. Genomic and precision medicine.  

The five successful awards will: 

  • Create a TransAtlantic Cancer Alliance for Liquid Biopsy Research and Training 
  • Establish a GENomics Enabled ONCology (GENE-ONC) Education programme and Network to support the genomics education of current and future health-care providers who work with patients on their cancer journey 
  • Advance health economic models to determine the best ways to implement lung cancer screening programmes that are tailored to the unique needs of the populations in Ireland and Northern Ireland 
  • Develop an All-Island Cancer Atlas, which aims to provide valuable insights for policy makers and researchers to enhance cancer policies and understanding 
  • Establish the necessary laboratory techniques to assess cancer-associated, non-coding genetic variants on a large scale in Ireland 

Mr Gavin Lawler, Programme Manager for the AICC scheme at the Health Research Board, commented: 

“We believe these projects will deliver significant improvements for cancer patients across the island of Ireland. The AICC awards required applicants to demonstrate value above and beyond any current research activities, collaboration or networking that is taking place. 

Following a rigorous two-stage application process, an international expert panel selected the five AICC awards based on each proposal’s added value of investment, the quality and relevance of the proposed award activities and the strength of collaboration and team.”  

Based on the success of the pilot, the HRB is currently developing a future call under the AICC scheme which is set to launch in 2025.”   

Read lay summaries of all the projects – AICC Projects list November 2024.pdf

In brief: 

Queen’s University Belfast: Three awards with a total value of €495,534 

Trinity College Dublin: One award with a total value of €427,969 

University College Cork: One award total value of €428,749 

*The All-Island Cancer Consortium pilot scheme is a collaborative initiative between the Health Research Board and Northern Ireland’s HSC Public Health Agency.  

The AICC scheme re-stimulates all-island collaboration on cancer to advance cancer care and cancer research priorities and provide the opportunities to develop North-South and Ireland-US collaborations.  

In March 2021 a new MoU was signed which now serves as an enabling framework, supporting cancer care and cancer research priorities, and offering more opportunities to develop North-South and Ireland-US collaborations. The renewed Consortium builds on previous successes and provide an excellent framework to support national coordination of cancer research, which is one of the key research actions in the National Cancer Strategy 2017-2025.