Previously called the All-Ireland Cancer Consortium (AICC), this tripartite partnership involving Ireland, Northern Ireland and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the USA aims to reduce cancer incidence and mortality on the island of Ireland through cross-border and transatlantic collaborations in cancer research and education.

The Consortium’s reignition commenced today with the remote signing of an historic new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD, Northern Ireland Minister for Health Robin Swann MLA, and Dr Norman E Sharpless MD on behalf of the NCI during a special virtual broadcast ahead of Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations.

The MoU signed today will serve as an enabling framework that will continue supporting cancer care and cancer research priorities, and offer more opportunities to find, develop and embed effective ways to deepen North-South cooperation in health research and in health service development. Future methods of cooperation will include:

  • Cooperative scientific programmes and research projects
  • Exchanges and training of scientists and experts
  • Information sharing
  • Consultations, meetings and scientific conferences

Welcoming the signing, Dr Mairéad O’Driscoll, CEO of the HRB, said:

“This is a significant opportunity for researchers and clinicians on the island of Ireland. It will increase potential research and education opportunities in the cancer area, with consequential benefits for patients and the economy in general.”

We welcome how this reinvigorated partnership will address shared priorities on cancer research and cancer control, as well as bring further opportunities for our continued involvement in internationally collaborative research to strengthen the fight against cancer.”

Originally established in 1999 following the Good Friday Agreement, the Consortium is credited with saving lives and enhancing quality of life for many cancer survivors by supporting work on cancer clinical trials infrastructure and all-Ireland joint research projects, establishing the All-Island Hospice/Palliative Care Institute, and providing upskilling and training opportunities for scientists, doctors and allied health care professionals.

Facilitated by cross border trade body InterTradeIreland, the renewed Consortium will build on these previous successes, many of which were supported by the HRB. In terms of education and training, numbers related to the Cancer Consortium are as follows:

  • 333 trainees from the island of Ireland have participated in the NCI Summer Prevention Programme
  • 15 Fellows from the island of Ireland have progressed through the NCI Prevention Fellowship Programme
  • 9 Fellows from the island of Ireland have undertaken the Cancer Health Economics Fellowship Programme
  • A new Queen’s University Belfast (QUB)-NCI Cancer Research Doctoral Training Programme has been established, with Year 1 completed at QUB and Years 2-4 primarily at the NCI

Read the InterTradeIreland press release on the Ireland-Northern Ireland-NCI Cancer Consortium.