In March, we announced seven ambitious new challenges — each designed to address some of the most complex unanswered questions in cancer research.

We’re inviting multidisciplinary, international teams to apply with bold ideas and creative approaches.

📅 EOI deadline: 18 June 2025
🔗 Submit an Expression of Interest

Read more about the new challenges and how findings from our funded teams have inspired them in Cancer Discovery

*Read about these findings and more in Discover magazine

In case you missed it… our first funded teams reflected on their overall scientific achievements enabled by the team science approach in invited perspectives for Cancer Discovery:

Cancer Research in the Age of Spatial Omics: Lessons from IMAXT

Visualizing Cancer Heterogeneity at the Molecular and Cellular Levels: Lessons from Rosetta

Conquering Overtreatment of DCIS: Lessons from PRECISION

Implementing Mutational Epidemiology on a Global Scale: Lessons from Mutographs

Community Highlights

AACR Annual Meeting 2025 Chicago

It was a standout AACR for our funded researchers, with over 50 talks and posters showcasing the work our teams are doing to address their respective challenges. A particular highlight was Paul Mischel (team lead of eDyNAmiC), Nicola Segata (team PROSPECT) and Mariam Jamal-Hanjani (team eDyNAmiC and team CANCAN) all giving plenary lectures.

At the Cancer Grand Challenges stand, our research team was busy connecting with prospective applicants to our seven new challenges, as well as catching up with scientific committee members, funded researchers and partners.

Congratulations!

A number of researchers in the Cancer Grand Challenges community have been recognised for their outstanding contributions, congratulations to all:

The Royal Society

Alessio Ciulli (KOODAC) – elected as a Fellow

Yasmine Belkaid (PROSPECT) – elected as a Foreign Member

Zhijian (James) Chen (eDyNAmiC) - elected as a Foreign Member

Recognitions and Awards

Brandon DeKosky (MATCHMAKERS) – 2025 AAI ASPIRE Award

Charles Swanton (Scientific Committee)- Gustave Roussy Prize

Karen Vousden (Scientific Committee) - AACR 2025 Scientific Achievement Award (G.H.A. Clowes Award for Outstanding Basic Cancer Research)

Matthew Meyerson (OPTIMISTICC) - AACR 2025 Scientific Achievement Award (James S. Ewing-Thelma B. Dunn Award for Outstanding Achievement in Pathology in Cancer Research)

Miriam Merad (Scientific Committee) – Sjöberg Prize

Regina Barzilay (MATCHMAKERS) – 2025 IEEE Frances E. Allen Medal

Tobias Janowitz (CANCAN) – elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI)

Ton Schumacher (MATCHMAKERS) – 2024 ESPO Award for Immuno-Oncology

Advocacy Update

After being with the initiative from the very beginning, Margaret Grayson, MBE, has stepped down from her role as Chair of the Cancer Grand Challenges Advocacy Panel.

We have learnt so much from Margaret and are deeply grateful for her dedication over the years. She will be sorely missed.

We look forward to continuing to work with our dedicated Advocacy Panel to shape the role of patient advocacy in the initiative and guide the patient advocates who are embedded throughout our teams — ensuring the patient is at the heart of everything we do.