Cancer clusters join forces to respond to Innovative Medicines Initiative

Collaboration formed

The Oslo Cancer Cluster in Norway and two French clusters in Toulouse, Cancéropole and the Cancer-Bio-Santé, have signed a strategic agreement to jointly implement a response to the European Union’s Innovative Medicines Initiative. They hope the collaboration will help them become Europe’s leading cancer research cluster.

The key initiatives to be followed include the exchange of knowledge and qualified staff, access to research and testing facilities, improved services, best practices, and the hosting of an annual oncology partnering meeting on alternate years.

Through forming partnerships between government, academic, industry and medical research institutions with a central focus on a particular therapeutic, in this case cancer, Olso and Toulouse have pioneered what Bjarte Reve, of the Oslo Cancer Cluster, believes is the best way to optimise progress in cancer research.  He said: “We are delighted to have signed this agreement and to share our vision of ensuring that patients have access to the latest cancer diagnostics and therapeutics as quickly and cost-effectively as possible.”

Reve added: “We believe that by combining our resources and synergising the SMEs and research labs of both clusters, we will be able to put forward powerful practical proposals to the [Innovative Medicines Initiative].”

Jean-Pierre Saintouil, of the Cancer-Bio-Santé Clusters, said: “Our experience in Toulouse has paralleled that of Oslo. Similar to Oslo, the primary objective is to improve prevention, treatment and diagnostics and thereby the lives of cancer patients.”

The Olso Cancer Cluster has invested €150 million in the Cancer Innovation Park with a high school and a Phase I clinical trials unit, and the Toulouse Cancéropole has committed €1 billion to new facilities which will hold a multidisciplinary life sciences institute, a business centre and ahospital dedicated to cancer research.