As the EUCanScreen Joint Action project marks the completion of its first year, it’s an important moment to reflect on what has been achieved collectively across Europe, and how Ireland has contributed to that shared progress.
A strong European collaboration
EUCanScreen is a 4-year project funded through the EU4Health Programme. It brings together partners and institutions from 29 countries, including public health authorities, research bodies and national screening organisations. The Joint Action supports the effective implementation of evidence-based, organised screening programmes, aligned with Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.
During its first year, EUCanScreen focused on building strong foundations.
This included:
- establishing governance and coordination structures
- mapping cancer screening policies and capacities across participating countries
- developing shared tools, indicators and methodological frameworks to support quality, equity and effectiveness in screening.
Collaboration and knowledge exchange between countries have been central to this work.
Ireland’s role within EUCanScreen
Ireland is actively involved in EUCanScreen through partnerships between the Department of Health, the Royal College of Surgeons, and the HSE’s National Screening Service. Ireland’s partners are contributing to all of the project’s 11 workstreams, including leading, co-leading and actively contributing to activities, while also working closely with international partners such as the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
Our focus throughout 2025 was on sharing learning from our national cancer screening programmes and contributing to joint European work that aims to improve coverage, quality and equity in cancer screening.
What we contributed in 2025
Over the past year, we worked alongside our European colleagues through meetings, workshops and technical collaborations to support progress across a wide range of screening topics.
Our contributions included:
- sharing resources and practical approaches on how we address barriers to screening
- exchanging experiences and best practices in piloting and implementing bowel cancer screening programmes
- examining how existing cancer screening programmes across Europe work for people with intellectual disabilities, and identifying barriers and strategies to improve access
- contributing to initiatives that aim to better understand and engage migrant populations in cancer screening
- supporting the standardisation of cervical cancer interval cancer rate calculations with international partners
- the development of education and training for healthcare professionals performing colposcopy
- planning research to better understand the experiences of gender minorities in cancer screening services
- supporting systematic reviews on barriers and facilitators to participation in cervical cancer screening
- completing national surveys on population-based screening, helping to build a clearer picture of screening practices across Europe.
This work reflects EUCanScreen’s broader first-year focus on risk-based approaches to screening, strengthening professional capacity, and addressing inequalities that affect who can access and benefit from screening.
Sharing learning across Europe
An important part of EUCanScreen is making learning visible and accessible. Each month, a different participating country leads content on the EUCanScreen website. In December 2025, we worked with the Department of Health and Irish partners to contribute 21 news articles over the month, shared as part of the wider European programme of knowledge exchange. This included articles highlighting our three national cancer screening programmes and our ongoing work to improve equity in screening.
Looking ahead
As EUCanScreen enters its second year, the Joint Action will build on these foundations to further support countries in improving screening coverage, quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation, with a continued focus on reducing inequalities and improving population health outcomes.
We will continue to support and be part of this strong European collaboration that recognises cancer screening as a shared public health priority. By working together, sharing evidence and learning from one another, EUCanScreen is helping to support high-quality, accessible and sustainable cancer screening for people across Europe.
EUCanScreen is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or HADEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
