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EU Missions under Horizon Europe

Horizon Cancer: Pragmatic Immunotherapy Trials

Funds three pragmatic clinical trials, €7-8M each, testing existing cancer immunotherapies in real-world care for patients whose disease resists treatment.

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Cancer patients whose disease doesn't respond to standard treatment — refractory cancer, at any stage, any subtype, any age — need better access to immunotherapy that's actually tailored to them. Immunotherapy research has produced real treatment options, but Europe's oncology systems are fragmented, costs are rising, and a lot of that promise doesn't reach routine care in a way that's affordable

Running randomised or cluster-randomised, academic investigator-initiated pragmatic clinical trials that test immunotherapeutic interventions for patients with refractory cancers — any subtype, any stage, any age group — to find out what works best in real-world care, not just under ideal trial conditions. Primary and secondary endpoints (overall survival, patient-reported outcomes, quality of life) have to be defined together with patients and caregivers, and results have to be broken down by sex, gender, age and factors like socio-economic status or ethnicity. Biomarker-informed patient stratification and analysis of the trial's own data are the only translational research in scope — there's no separate track for developing new therapeutics, biomarkers or diagnostics. The consortium has to bring a genuine mix of disciplines and sectors, including regional or national health authorities as partners, and successful projects join the EU Cancer Mission's 'Diagnosis and Treatment' project cluster.

CycleiHow often this grant runs — e.g. annually, on a rolling basis, or a one-off call.Annual
Next deadlineiThe next date applications are due. Rolling means you can apply any time.15 Sept 2026
Decision timeiTypical time from the deadline to the funder's decision.22 weeks
Project durationiHow long the funded work is expected to run.
Award typeiThe form of funding — grant, equity, loan, tax credit, etc.Grant
Match fundingiThe share of project costs you must cover yourself. 0% = fully funded.0%
Funding pooliThe total budget available across all awards in this round.€22.2M

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Last verified: 25 Aug 2026Funder reference: HORIZON-MISS-2026-02-CANCER-03Source: ec.europa.eu