Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in European men. Despite dramatic improvements in early diagnostic and local treatment, one out of five prostate cancer patients will die from their disease. Despite progress in the past years, it remains critical to improve on the present strategy for advanced and metastatic prostate cancer. Within the proposed project, we will evaluate whether intermittent intensified androgen deprivation treatment (iADT) in metastatic prostate cancer is not inferior to continuous treatment in terms of oncological benefit while minimizing side effects and resource utilization and improving patient quality of life. The proposed clinical trial is designed to detect early if iADT has a negative impact on overall survival compared to continuous therapy. If successful, the outcomes of the project will define a new evidence-based standard of care for metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer. The proposed research could lead to improved patient survival and quality of life but also improve health system sustainability. This is a multidisciplinary and multistakeholder consortium involving clinical oncologists, surgeons, health economists and patient representatives. The study design was successfully discussed with patients. This action is part of the Cancer Mission cluster of projects on ‘Diagnosis and treatment’.

Colorectal, breast and cervical cancer cause 155,000 deaths each year in middle income countries (MIC) in Eastern Europe, while there is good evidence that a large proportion could be prevented by organized screening. Although many MIC in Eastern Europe have implemented some form of cancer screening, this screening is often non-organized, leading to lack of data and quality assurance systems. Also, coverage is commonly low and minority groups are not reached. In a previous HORIZON2020 project ‘EU-TOPIA’, we developed road maps to improve cancer screening programmes in Europe. In the current project, EU-TOPIA-EAST, these roadmaps will be refined and translated into action plans for three MICs: Georgia (breast), Romania (cervix) and Montenegro (colorectal). These action plans will take the local health and social system into account by performing detailed barrier and stakeholder analyses, leading to feasible changes to current screening programs. Next, we will implement these action plans: e.g. in Georgia, we will increase coverage of the programme by establishing a new screening unit; in Romania, we will develop new IT infrastructure to allow invitation-based cervical cancer screening; and finally in Montenegro we will establish a new colonoscopy center to increase programme capacity decrease travel time for participants. The implemented programs will be monitored and evaluated using key indicators and sophisticated decision models to predict the long-term and country-wide benefits, harms and cost-effectiveness. During workshops and roundtable discussions for policymakers and screening program coordinators from all countries in Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to build capacity and upscale the implementation of these intervention(s) in Equitable, Accessible, and SusTainable (EU-TOPIA-EAST) ways. In this way, the project will improve the prevention and early diagnosis of cancer in real-life settings in Eastern European and Mediterranean countries.

The agri-food industry faces numerous challenges dealing with societal, public health, individual nutrition and environmental, food waste and overall food system sustainability challenges. Imbalances and disconnected food markets are generating undesirable trade-offs between the food supply, the consumption patterns, quality of nutrition and the environment. Interoperability and data sharing across agri-food supply networks is limited. Data can revolutionise the food industry and foster its contribution to inclusive and sustainable food systems. Data can be used to assist these stakeholders in making informed decisions on how to operate in a more sustainable and inclusive manner. In this way, they increase the efficiency of the food industry through the optimisation of relevant operations and the reduction of waste, promoting transparency and demonstrate their commitment to ethical and sustainable production. FoodDataQuest will develop ground-breaking data-driven solutions based on an integrated methodological framework that explores new types of private and public data sources, data from “unconventional players” and non-competitive data and leverages data sharing mechanisms in order to provide the EU food chain stakeholders with increased insights and enhance the transition towards sustainable healthy diets. The proposed framework will include guidelines and data collection strategies, to drive the food system transformation towards inclusive, sustainable, healthy diets within the boundaries of legal and policy frameworks. FoodDataQuest will co-create and test advanced data-driven solutions based on AI and ML algorithms, following a multi-actor approach that will serve as a lighthouse that positively impacts a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system. Last, FoodDataQuest will engage citizens into industry's data-driven innovations balancing between data openness and protection of private and sensitive data of multiple stakeholders.

Over 50 million people in Europe have more than one chronic disease. This number will increase dramatically in the near future. This will increase health care spending to a staggering 20% of GDP. Multi-morbidity becomes the number one threat to population health and economic sustainability of health care systems. New models of care for multi-morbid patients are urgently needed. Given the diversity of Europe’s health and social care systems there is no single model that fits them all. SELFIE aims to improve patient-centred care for patients with multi-morbidity by proposing evidence-based, economically sustainable integrated chronic care (ICC) models that stimulate cooperation across health and social care sectors and are supported by appropriate financing/payment schemes. SELFIE specifically focuses on multi-morbidity, on generating empirical evidence of the impact of ICC and on financing/payment schemes. It is methodologically innovative by applying Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis. SELFIE develops 5 end-results that are adjustable to different care systems in Europe, including CEE: 1. A taxonomy of most promising ICC models for patients with multi-morbidity; this taxonomy includes a “toolkit” of interventions that policy makers can use to build an ICC model that best fits into their own health and social care system 2. A detailed list of options for different financing/payment schemes to support the implementation of ICC for multi-morbidity 3. A technical document on price-setting of ICC models for patients with multi-morbidity 4. A performance assessment tool to monitor goal achievement; this tool includes new indicators that specifically address the quality of care for patients with multi-morbidity 5. Strategies for implementation and change management Patients, informal and professional caregivers, payers and policy makers are involved right from the beginning to ensure that SELFIE addresses the right questions and pave the pathway for implementation.