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About

What is Cancer Grand Challenges?

Cancer Grand Challenges is a global research initiative that is building an elite, interdisciplinary community to tackle cancer’s most complex problems.

Co-founded in 2020 by the two largest funders of cancer research in the world, Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute in the US, it aims to accelerate high-impact research and translate discoveries for public and patient benefit through global team science. 

The story so far

Investment to date: $400m
Teams funded: 16
Investigators and collaborators: 1,200+
Countries involved 16

Our founders

Cancer Research UK

Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity, dedicated to saving and improving lives with its research.

With its mission being to work to reduce the impact of cancer on people’s day-to-day lives through their research, influence and information, Cancer Research UK carries out world-class research into the prevention, detection and treatment of more than 200 types of cancer through the work of more than 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses.

The National Cancer Institute

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the US federal government's principal agency for cancer research and training. 

As the leader of the cancer research enterprise, collectively known as the National Cancer Program, and the largest funder of cancer research in the world, the NCI manages a broad range of research, training, and information dissemination activities that reach across the entire country, meeting the needs of all demographics—rich and poor, urban and rural, and all racial/ethnic populations.

Who we are

Mariam Al Hanjani

Learn more about our mission to solve cancer’s toughest challenges.

People interacting at Cancer Grand Challenges event
Meet the leadership team behind Cancer Grand Challenges, our Scientific Committee, Future Leaders and Advocacy Panel.
Ryan Schoenfeld at Mark Foundation symposium

Meet our global network of partners and individual donors whose support is helping us to transform the landscape of cancer research.

What we do

Professor Judy Garber at a Scientific Committee meeting, to set our 2023 challenges

Find out how we identify the most complex problems in cancer research, and then commit to funding teams to tackle them.

MERFISH Whole mouse brain cell atlas
Learn about the ambitious challenges we've posed to the global research community.
Spatial proteomics analysis of human pancreas tissue
Explore how our first round of funded teams pushed the boundaries of cancer research and delivered progress against their challenges.