Over the last two and a half years, INTERACT-EUROPE 100 has brought together professionals from more than 100 cancer centres across Europe to implement an Inter-Specialty Cancer Training Programme. Following the delivery of materials in seven languages, the organisation of nine Train-the-Trainer events across eight countries, and three regional networking events, the community will gather again in Brussels on 20 November, just after the European Cancer Summit, to showcase achievements and discuss the next steps in European inter-speciality cancer training.Bringing together Europe’s oncology community at a pivotal moment, the conference will showcase the achievements of INTERACT-EUROPE 100 while helping shape the next phase of inter-speciality cancer training across Europe. It offers an opportunity to turn the programme’s success into lasting, system-wide adoption, ultimately improving cancer care and outcomes for people across Europe.
Registrations are now open via the official event page.
Cancer care is never the work of a single specialty. It depends on professionals across disciplines sharing expertise, communicating effectively, and seeing the patient as a whole.
In this editorial, INTERACT-EUROPE 100 participant and breast surgeon Luca Resca, MD, reflects on why truly interdisciplinary oncology requires more than shared protocols and multidisciplinary meetings. It calls for a cultural shift—one that puts collaboration, mutual understanding, and the full needs of the person at the heart of cancer care.
Read the editorial here.
In May 2026, ECO contributed to a European Commission webinar on strengthening the health workforce as part of wider health system transformation efforts.
The discussion highlighted the need for sustainable, long-term investment in workforce development and system integration.
Projects such as INTERACT-EUROPE 100 are contributing evidence on how interdisciplinary training and collaboration can support more resilient cancer care systems.
INTERACT-EUROPE 100 was featured last month at the European conference of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology in Glasgow, where the project team highlighted progress in strengthening collaborative cancer care through inter-speciality training.
Project achievements presented at the conference included:
The discussions highlighted how interdisciplinary education and collaboration can help support more integrated, patient-centred cancer care across Europe.
Three major regional networking events have taken place, welcoming over 140 attendees and bringing together cancer care professionals from across Europe for two days of exchange and collaboration.Participants reflected on how the Inter-Specialty Cancer Training Programme is being implemented in their own centres, shared best practices, and took part in workshops to strengthen multidisciplinary collaboration.
Te events took place in:
Media Spotlight
The INTERACT-EUROPE 100 event in Ruse also received national media attention, with coverage on Bulgarian television highlighting discussions on collaboration in cancer care.
Watch the TV coverage here.
(You may adjust language subtitles at the bottom-right corner of the video if needed).
The INTERACT-EUROPE 100 Train-the-Trainer events equip trainers with the skills to deliver the Inter-Specialty Cancer Training Programme (ISCTP) in their cancer centres. They include a combination of onsite workshops, online learning, and mentoring. The focus is on person-centred cancer care, interprofessional collaboration, andcontemporary teaching methods.
On 15 January 2025, the INTERACT-EUROPE 100 Team welcomed over 280 trainers & participants from more than 100 cancer centres to take part in the first European Inter-Specialty Cancer Training. They will learn together, incorporating their different oncology specialties, so that patients can benefit from a multidisciplinary approach to cancer care.
Showcasing INTERACT-EUROPE 100 as a European Solution for Multidisciplinary Cancer Training
Early 2025 has already delivered promising results on the dissemination front. In a research article dedicated to Advancing women-centric breast cancer care in Europe, The Economist Impact highlighted INTERACT-EUROPE 100 as an example of inter-specialty cancer training at the European level.
The INTERACT-EUROPE 100 team is honoured by the growing recognition of the project's potential to reshape professional perceptions of cancer care for women. We are committed to breaking down barriers and implement needed changes for improved cancer care.You can read the full publication here.
Cancer remains a major global health challenge, affecting millions annually and ranking as the second leading cause of death worldwide. Structural issues and insufficient interdisciplinary training can impede effective collaboration, which is why effective interprofessional education (IPE) is needed.You can now read the scoping review from an INTERACT-EUROPE 100 partner, the Medical University of Vienna (MUW), on the implementation, impact and evaluation strategies of patient-centred IPE programmes.Read the publication here.You can also read the protocol paper here.
After receiving over 120 applications from European Cancer Centres and performing a thorough revision process, the INTERACT-EUROPE 100 Team is pleased to announce that the project has met its goal of selecting at least 100 of them!We have also beaten the target of 15 EU countries' Cancer Centres being included and have reached 27 countries (23 EU and 4 non-EU).The project team is extremely grateful for the interest received from all over Europe. We are now working at full speed to prepare the training courses, which are set to begin in 2025.
Find the selected cancer centres here.
The INTERACT-EUROPE 100 Second Year Coordination meeting took place in Brussels on Friday 22 November at the Radisson Collection Hotel. This date was selected to immediately follow the European Cancer Summit, and align with the Showcase Event for the smartCARE and PROTECT-EUROPE projects, which were being held simultaneously.This choice of date and place aimed to maximise in-person interaction and broaden contact and synergies with other members of the European Cancer community.
On 21 November 2024, a special spotlight session took place at the European Cancer Summit, in Brussels, dedicated to the INTERACT-EUROPE 100 project.Kim Benestead, member of the project's Steering Committee, presented the project and gave an update on this year's progress to relevant stakeholders of the cancer community, young cancer professionals and policymakers.
The INTERACT-EUROPE 100 Research-Based Hybrid Event ‘Special Needs of Displaced People with Cancer and Healthcare Workforce: A Focus on Ukraine’ took place in Ukraine and virtually on Wednesday 23 October 2024 from 10:00 to 15:00 CEST. Learn more about it here.
The new research gallery at Heidelberg University of Education was opened as part of an Academic Soireé on 23 October 2024. Nine renowned projects presented their research approach and results in a poster presentation and INTERACT-EUROPE 100 was one of them.Members of the Work Package 2 Team, Prof Marco Kalz, Taybe Kulaksaz-Sabbah and Jana Steinbacher presented details of the project to distinguished members of the academic community in Germany.
Representatives from applying Cancer Centres had the opportunity to share the reasons why they consider this project so important and why they are applying for it. The videos they shared turned into precious material to boost the promotion of recruitment on the weeks before closing.
See why inter-specialty cancer training is so important for: Dr Jan Žmuc; Prof Audrius Dulskas, Radiologist Marina Nepotu, Prof. Ann Hopkins; Scientific Director Prof. Roberto Orecchia; Dr. Deborah Moreno-Alonso; Cancer Operations & Accreditation Lead Claire Noonan; and Prof. Hackert.Watch the video here!
Production of content is underway, and partners are working together to ensure that the INTERACT-EUROPE 100 learning materials and training content are fully ready by the beginning of the training in 2025.In the images, you can see colleagues in Heidelberg, who were involved in the production of four video lectures on the module 1.3: Cancer radiotherapy for non-radiotherapy clinicians, featuring expert Prof Mario Levis, from ESTRO, alongside the Co-Leaders of INTERACT-EUROPE 100's Work Package 2 from Universitatsklinikum Heidelberg (UKHD) -Niall Brindl, Aphrodite Fotiadou, Haidar Kasem, and Andreas Brandl- and Heidelberg University of Education (HUE) -Marco Kalz, Taybe Kulaksaz-Sabbah and Jana Steinbacher.
On 19 June 2024, INTERACT-EUROPE 100 was prominently featured at the EU4Health Stakeholders' Conference, held by the European Commission in Brussels. Representing the project, Dr Virpi Sulosaari, Principal Lecturer at Turku University of Applied Sciences and Co-Lead of INTERACT-EUROPE 100's Programme Design and Development, delivered a compelling presentation emphasizing the critical need for multidisciplinary cancer care in Europe.
During the event, Dr Sulosaari highlighted how the INTERACT-EUROPE 100 project is addressing this need through innovative inter-specialty training. This approach fosters collaboration among oncology professionals, ultimately enhancing the quality of cancer care offered to patients across Europe. The project features inclusiveness, both in the range of specialties that can participate and the languages in which the programme is offered.
In May 2024, our colleagues from SIOPE also presented INTERACT-EUROPE 100 at the SIOPE Annual Meeting in Milan. The conference was attended by many European experts in childhood cancer.
Co-chair Maja Čemažar was interviewed by the European Commission and explained why a multi-disciplinary approach to cancer care is key, and how INTERACT-EUROPE 100 and its Inter-Specialty Cancer Training Programme contributes to support Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.'By fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange among oncology experts across Europe, we are creating a network of supported expertise that goes beyond borders and will reduce inequities in cancer care.' she says.Watch the full interview here!
Hear the Words of Director Manuel Szapiro
'You can count on our support.' In this statement, Manuel Szapiro, Head of the European Commission Representation in Barcelona expressed the enthusiastic backing of the institution to the INTERACT-EUROPE 100 project, as well as the eagerness of the European Commission to advance the common goal of completing Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.Click on the image to see the video!
This project is connected to the ECO Workforce Network. Find out more.
On 8 and 9 February, the European Cancer Organisation launched the second phase of the EU co-funded project for an Inter-Specialty Cancer Training Programme.
The inaugural event served not only to showcase the project's goals and impact but also to gather stakeholder insights, advice, and priorities for what inter-specialty training they wanted for their own cancer teams. Given the project's core concept of including 100 cancer centres from across Europe, their input was crucial.
Guests networked with project partners, officials, policy makers, and patient representatives, as they developed this new frontier in cancer training.
Participants engaged in:
- 8 February: An evening reception at the European Commission’s regional representation office in Barcelona, with informative talks followed by dinner and networking with political figures, cancer centre representatives, consortium members, and project leadership.
- 9 February: Kick-off event at the Paediatric Cancer Centre Hospital Sant Joan de Deu (HSJD), including the presentation of the INTERACT-EUROPE 100 project and the gathering of feedback in a free-flowing exchange with cancer centre directors and consortium members.
Attendees had a direct impact on the future of this innovative training programme.
Discover more about the first phase of the INTERACT-EUROPE programme, including videos and documents, here.
