ONCODIR Kick-off Meeting – June 12th and 13th, 2023

Announcing the launch of ONCODIR, a European project on Evidenced-based Participatory Decision Making for Cancer Prevention through implementation research.

Endowed with eight million euros under the Funding programme “Horizon Europe Cancer Mission” the ONCODIR project is coordinated by the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH).

The kick-off meeting for the European project ONCODIR, in which 27 partners are joining hands to provide Evidence-based Participatory Decision Making for Colorectal Cancer Prevention through implementation research, took place on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th June 2023 at the premises of CERTH in Thessaloniki, Greece.  

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common type of cancer, and its occurrence is increasing, especially in lower socioeconomic status populations due to unhealthy behaviors. Stemming from the specific risk factors identified with CRC, ONCODIR: Evidence-based Participatory Decision Making for Cancer Prevention through implementation research project integrates multidisciplinary research methods from health policy analytics, social and behavioural science, artificial intelligence (AI) – powered multi-omics and retrospective data analytics, as well as decision support theories to deliver evidence-based cancer prevention programmes and innovative AI-powered personalised prevention approaches. 

The ONCODIR project aims to:

• Identify main correlations, barriers and significant factors of CRC
• Ensure equal an affordable access to cancer prevention strategies for everyone between and within EU countries
• Provide innovative AI-powered personalised prevention approaches
• Enhance the ongoing evidence-based CRC prevention programmes for precise CRC primary prevention
• Establish risk-based stratification for citizens considering structural and behavioural intervention through participatory approach
• Design intelligent monitoring tools for policy makers through a participatory co-designing approach

“The ONCODIR project is an opportunity to create something impactful that will ameliorate the lives of citizens with regard to early prevention of colorectal cancer (CRC). To achieve our objectives, we are committed to providing methodological tools and technologies that cater not only to the needs of citizens, but clinicians and policy makers as well. We are employing a co-design and co-creative approach that values the feedback of all aforementioned groups in order to ascertain that the evidence-based, behavioral-changing suggested solutions will be adopted by the implicated stakeholders and, thus, implemented into actual policies.” – CERTH