Who are we ?

The public interest group Cancéropôle Île-de-France includes 7 member institutions and 14 partners, and brings together the entire cancer research community in the Paris region. To carry out its missions, it includes decision-making, scientific strategy and scientific evaluation bodies.

With funding from the Institut National du Cancer and its member institutions, its scientific strategy is based on thematic working groups, and aims to meet the specific needs of the Paris Region by integrating multidisciplinary and inter-institutional approaches.

Scientific strategy

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Cancer research draws on disciplines from all horizons of knowledge: medicine and biology, of course, but also mathematics and computer science, which are needed to process the information obtained, particularly with high-throughput technologies, and physics, which enables the development of highly sophisticated imaging equipment. The humanities and social sciences, for their part, enable us to study the links between cancer, society and the environment: within a society, an economic system, a history, a population or even in relation to the patient’s own psychology. Partnership research adds a new dimension, since it enables the patient experience to be included in the very design of research projects.

Cancéropôle Île-de-France’s role is to federate Ile-de-France cancer research, to lead the research network, to enable interdisciplinary collaborations and to promote the implementation of cross-disciplinary and innovative programs.

Since 2015, the Cancéropôle IDF’s scientific strategy has been based on multidisciplinary and multi-institutional thematic working groups. The activity of these working groups on emerging themes in oncology makes it possible to organize and fund cross-disciplinary research programs involving research teams from different institutions, and to drive the IDF thematic networks.

Scientific strategy 2023-2027

The Cancéropôle IDF’s scientific strategy for 2023-2027 is built around 10 thematic working groups, aimed at structuring networks of researchers on relevant themes in terms of the Ile-de-France healthcare landscape and the cancer research strengths present in the region. The choice of actions to be implemented under each of these missions is made on a bottom-up basis, with the support of these multi-disciplinary groups, with the aim of decompartmentalizing and pooling skills. These inter-institutional networks decide – in a concerted manner – on the actions to be implemented to structure research and strengthen scientific leadership in their field. These structuring and/or networking actions are proposed at COPS meetings, validated by the General Meeting and implemented by the working groups with the support of the General Secretariat.

A strategy that integrates different approaches and interdisciplinary cross-fertilization

  • Tumor microenvironment: federating existing strengths
  • Cutting-edge technologies: the highest density of academic technology platforms in France
  • Human and social sciences: the need for multidisciplinarity
  • Philosophy of cancer biology: theoretical support for biological research

A strategy to meet local healthcare needs

  • Geocancer: major inequalities in cancer care across the country
  • Oncogeriatrics: increasing needs due to aging population
  • Radiotherapy: a growing shortage of researchers in radiotherapy/radiobiology
  • Rare cancers: a large number of cases due to the size of the Ile-de-France population

A strategy adapted to changes in the regional and national context

  • Co-construction with patients and their families as part of a democratic approach to research
  • Strengthening links between academia and industry through partnerships
  • Sharing knowledge and expertise with other Cancéropôles