Our strategy
Our 7-year strategy outlines our vision, and how we plan to bring about real change for people with cancer.
Cancer is one of the world’s greatest health challenges. In the UK, almost 1 in 2 people will get cancer in their lifetime.
We are proud of everything we have achieved since our opening in 2007. Our research has led to personalised treatment programmes for patients in Cambridge and beyond. From developing innovative diagnostic tests to advancing imaging methods, we are translating our findings into clinical practice.
As we learn more about cancer, we must adjust our strategy to ensure we are continuing to bring hope to patients and their families.
Our Vision
We aim to harness of power of discovery research and bring about a world where everybody can lead longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.
Our Goals
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Deliver cancer research of the highest calibre
Our research will transform our understanding of every stage of a tumour lifecycle. By studying how tumours develop, adapt, and interact with their surroundings, we aim to uncover crucial insights into their behaviour. We believe that only through understanding all aspects of the disease can we prevent, detect and treat cancer so that everybody can lead longer, better lives.
We are attracting the brightest minds in research across the UK and globally, to create a dynamic and inclusive environment for all. Our 20 research groups work collaboratively to bring about the most impactful discoveries and create an Institute-wide culture of tackling the most important questions in cancer research to accelerate scientific discovery.
Core funding from Cancer Research UK ensures our talented and ambitious scientists can pursue big and bold ideas. Our cutting-edge and professionalised operations teams support our science – allowing researchers to focus on beating cancer sooner.
Explore our research
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Serve as the foundation of cancer research in Cambridge and beyond
Our Core Facilities create critical local infrastructure, benefiting the entire Cambridge cancer research community. With their cutting-edge equipment and technical expertise, we can adopt new techniques early and create new approaches to further the cancer research field and improve outcomes for patients.
We are leading and contributing to many national funding initiatives, including the International Alliance for Cancer Early Detection, the CRUK Radiation Network, and the Children’s Brain Tumour Centre of Excellence. Our faculty and associated faculty comprise half of the leadership positions within the CRUK Cambridge Centre.
Through the Spatial Profiling and Annotation Centre of Excellence (SPACE) and the Functional Genomics Centre, we aim to provide national resources, leveraging cutting-edge technologies and interdisciplinary collaborations to support all researchers to accelerate scientific progress.
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Cultivate research collaborations and industry partnerships to accelerate scientific progress
We are collaborating with hospitals and clinicians to bring our research to patients, from clinical trials exploring new imaging methods to track tumour metabolism and cancer cell death, to assessing liquid biopsies as a tool to predict relapse in lung cancer patients.
Partnerships with industry and academia have led to many successful projects, including a programme with Varsity Pharmaceutical to test whether auranofin, a drug approved for rheumatoid arthritis, might be used to help treat people with ovarian and breast cancer.
Our science has launched 14 spin-out companies to develop new treatments and technologies. We work closely with Cancer Research Horizons and Cambridge Enterprise to identify opportunities in our research that could be developed into products to improve patient outcomes and advance medical science.
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Train the next generation of leaders in cancer research
We are dedicated to developing future leaders in cancer research, providing high-quality training and mentorship to our PhD students and postdoctoral researchers.
Our postgraduate students play a pivotal role in the continuing success of our Institute’s research programmes. We aim not just to train students to be good scientists but to equip them with essential skills for a career in academia and beyond.
Our postdoctoral society organises training and networking events, inviting leaders in academia and industry to share vital insights into future career paths.
We believe in building pipelines into cancer research through every stage of education. Our schools’ outreach programme, CareersLab work experience programme and Undergraduate Summer Research Programme are inspiring students of all ages to consider a purposeful career helping people with cancer, whether thats directly in research or in creating the infrastructure that supports research.
See our opportunities for students
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Ensure patients can lead longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.
We aim to reinvent the collaborative cancer landscape in Cambridge and beyond to create an integrated research culture – bridging the gap between research and clinical application to ensure our discoveries change lives for the better.
Patients are represented throughout our research programmes and Scientific Advisory Board, ensuring our science is shaped by the lived experiences of patients and their families.
The Affiliated Clinical Faculty and Independent Clinical Fellows Programme inspire our researchers to broaden their scope, creating new opportunities for collaborations between academia and the hospital and ensuring that clinical relevance is embedded in our strategy and research programmes from their inception.