CANDLE – National CAncer data Node DeveLopErs

The National CAncer data Node DeveLopErs (CANDLE) project aims to scale-up and improve existing (inter)national health data infrastructures in cancer research, align maximally with national European Health Data Space (EHDS) implementations in member states, with the focus on identifing and resolving potential barriers that jeopardise effective implementation of UNCAN.eu and the European Cancer Patient Digital Centre (ECPDC) digital platforms. The project aims also to equip data users and the National Cancer Data Nodes (NCDN) developers with a ‘ready-to-use’ CANDLE Resource Kit in a process oriented (research journey, patient journey, data life cycle) waytowards a successful and highly desired data transformation in European cancer research fully in line with the goal of the Cancer Mission and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan,  reducing the burden of cancer. 

Consortium

The consortium has been carefully designed to provide all the expertise required for the execution of the project work plan, bringing together experts from a range of essential sectors. The CANDLE consortium acknowledges the previous work conducted in the 4.UNCAN.eu project, where the concept and function of national nodes and the interactions with the federated UNCAN.eu platform have been sketched. NKI/Health-RI, MUW, Sciensano, and LIH were members of the 4.UNCAN.eu consortium and will ensure the continuation in CANDLE and adoption of the “strategic action plan for UNCAN.eu network implementation” blueprint. Additionally, the relevance of the “Study providing an operational concept for an ECPDC ” is acknowledged, and Charité and ECO, as partners from the previous ECPDC study, are included in the consortium.

EATRIS Role

EATRIS’ role is focused primarily on developing and implementing models to support the maturation of National Cancer Data Nodes (NCDNs). As a co-leader of Work Package 4, EATRIS is responsible for guiding the co-creation process of the CANDLE Maturation Model, which helps NCDNs self-assess, validate, and improve their data management practices. This includes leading consultation workshops, coordinating pilot implementations, and addressing challenges related to governance, interoperability, and data quality. 

Additionally, EATRIS supports policy dialogue and capacity-building efforts within the project. Through contributions to Work Package 5, it helps ensure that the development and implementation of NCDNs align with European policies, particularly in the context of the European Health Data Space. Overall, EATRIS contributes its expertise to ensure the effective coordination and advancement of data-driven cancer research across Europe.

The figure below displays the project structure:

CANDLE kickoff meeting on 16 June 2025 in Amsterdam.