Pictured at the launch of the University College Dublin and Queen’s University Belfast All-Island Cancer Alliances Partnership at UCD University Club are (l-r) Professor Mark Lawler, Professor Kate Robson Brown, Professor Archie Clements, Professor Helen Roche, Professor Daniel Longley, Professor William Gallagher, Dr Loraine Smith and Clare McAuley. Photo by Vincent Hoban.

The University College Dublin and Queen’s University Belfast All-Island Cancer Alliances Partnership is focused on the creation of inter-institutional programmes in the cancer research, innovation and training domains, involving the broader landscape of investigators across the entire island of Ireland.

This work builds on the ongoing development of the All-Island Cancer Research Institute (AICRI) which has brought together ten academic institutions across Ireland and Northern Ireland over the past four years, along with a variety of other stakeholders from cancer charity, healthcare and public sectors, as well as patient advocates.

It stems also from a Memorandum of Understanding between University College Dublin (UCD) and Queen’s University Belfast, signed in 2021, which set out key areas for collaboration, including cancer research and precision medicine.

This new All-Island Cancer Alliances Partnership will focus on identifying and agreeing joint research and innovation activities, research student mobility, and information exchange, amongst other areas of mutual benefit.

It is envisaged that it will aid not only cross-border research and innovation activities on the island but also facilitate greater engagement in cancer programmes at a European level.

Professor Archie Clements, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise at Queen’s University Belfast, commented: “This partnership emphasises our commitment to all-island research and innovation. Cancer research is one of the top priorities of our Strategy 2030 to “Shape A Better World.” An inter-institutional team science approach makes sense, harnessing our joint expertise to deliver high quality research that makes a difference to peoples’ lives. I welcome this initiative and look forward to its progress and impact over the next three years.”

Professor Mark Lawler, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Digital Health at Queen’s University Belfast, Co-Lead of AICRI, and Queen’s Lead on the All-Island Cancer Alliances Partnership, said: “We are delighted to develop this partnership approach, initially with our colleagues in UCD, but also hopefully extending to other like-minded organisations as we progress, to address together one of human health’s greatest challenges. The project builds on Queen’s international reputation in cancer research, where our leadership has been crucial in driving both an all-island and a global cancer research agenda.

“It is particularly apt that we are announcing this partnership in the 25th Anniversary year of the Ireland – Northern Ireland – US National Cancer Institute Cancer Consortium, the brainchild of Professor Paddy Johnston, the sadly departed former Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s and a UCD graduate. We need to compete, not against each other, but against our common enemy - Cancer.”

Professor Kate Robson Brown, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact, said: “Cancer research and innovation is a key priority area within UCD, underpinned by a dedicated across-university campaign. I am delighted to give our endorsement towards this exciting initiative to maximise mutual strengths between UCD and Queen’s University Belfast in this critically important area of human health.

"This partnership will foster groundbreaking academic-clinical collaboration in cancer research, accelerating the translation of innovative discoveries into tangible societal benefits that improve outcomes and quality of life for patients on an all-island basis. UCD’s Strategy to 2030 is called Breaking Boundaries – this project exemplifies our approach to come together to address shared challenges.”

Speaking at the launch held today in UCD, Professor William Gallagher, Professor of Cancer Biology at UCD, Co-Lead, AICRI and UCD Lead on the All-Island Cancer Alliances Partnership, said: “This strong institutional commitment from both UCD and Queen’s allows us to combine our respective skills and expertise towards the shared challenge of cancer. It allows us to build further on a solid foundation of inter-institutional partnership that we have illustrated under the All-Island Cancer Research Institute, which our respective institutions have played leading roles in developing, along with others.”

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Media inquiries to Sian Devlin at s.devlin@qub.ac.uk