About us

We're funded by Cancer Research UK, the Little Princess Trust, the National Institute for Health and Care Research in England, and the Health Departments for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Our vision and aims

We're a unique network of specialist centres working together to deliver early-phase clinical trials.

Since our launch in 2007, about £150m of our funding has supported staff members in our centres across the UK.

We're a collaborative, internationally competitive, national network of early-phase experimental cancer medicine centres. Together, we translate the most promising innovations from the academic and industry sectors into cancer medicines.

Our three focus areas

We connect expertise, expand patient access and deliver breakthroughs.

Science

We facilitate research collaboration, data integration and sharing of resources across the network.

Process

We're developing an accelerated pathway for early-phase trials, digitising trial delivery and patient identification.

People

We involve patients and the public in trial design and delivery, championing access within and beyond the network.

How we work

Two medical professionals having a discussion in a hospital corridor.

The network carries out early-phase experimental trials, supporting preclinical development through to phase 2 studies.

Each centre is a partnership between local NHS trusts and the university where the centre is based. This brings together university-based health researchers with hospital-based clinical staff and researchers.

Learn more about how we work

Leadership and governance

Programme office

We are a single-entry point to our network – developing partnerships with sponsors and connecting them with the right sites to run their clinical trial.

Governance

We are governed by independent panels and boards that help guide our decision on which centres become a part of our network.