On 27th April 2026, MAYA Project showcased at the conference “Understanding cancer in the digital age: data, innovation and equity” at the European Commision Cancer Mission, in Cyprus. The former European Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides, summed up the key points of this meeting in a single sentence: “No single actor can succeed alone, progress depends on all of us working together”.
On the next day, SHINE contributed to the session Patient and Citizen Engagement: Real World Experimentation to Drive More Equitable, Impactful, Human-Centred Solutions with CEO Carina Dantas presenting “TRACE: Bridging Cancer Research and Real-World Impact Through CoCreation and Community Engagement”, as WP Lead on this great project coordinated by Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
TRACE focuses on bridging the gap between cancer research and real-world impact through co-creation and community engagement and that was my key pitch – how to avoid the Devilish details and achieve true implementation? We hope LivingLabs and CitizenScience can be some great enablers of broad stakeholder collaboration and real-world feedback.
On the same day, at the Parallel Workshop “Beyond Pilots: Synergising EU Cancer Projects for Ethical and Inclusive Implementation of Digital Tools”, different European-funded initiatives were pitched, namely TRACE, MAYA, PATH, CAREWAY, CURTAIN, 4P-CAN, PERIFORMANCE, CHILI-HPV, EQUITY-LA, highlighting one transferable asset and one implementation challenge. In the second part of the explicitly outcome-oriented workshop there were three facilitated hands-on roundtables with the audience focusing on inclusive personal development to strengthen cancer literacy among underrepresented publics, Living Labs as vehicles for validation and uptake, and the ethical real-world deployment of digital tools.
“A cancer diagnosis may change your life but should not change your future”, as Carina Dantas says, highlighting former European Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides speech that “moved and inspired all” on a great panel that included representatives from the European Commission, ECHoS | Establishing of Cancer Mission Hubs: Networks and Synergies, Cyprus Ministry of Health and Cancer Research University. Also a patient testimonial, by Salomi Michail, that was a clear endorsement of the importance of lived experience.
The 2nd EU Cancer Mission Fair is an inspiring European gathering spotlighting citizen engagement, collaboration, and shared experiences in cancer research and care. Bringing together citizens, patients, and experts from across Europe to share best practices and drive collaborations and organised as part of the Establishing Cancer Mission Hubs: Networks and Synergies (ECHoS) project, in collaboration with the European Commission’s EU Cancer Mission, the event was a unique opportunity to learn from amazing practices and foster the partnerships that will define the future of cancer care.
