INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE ENFERMEDADES NEOPLASICAS-INEN

Their core work

INEN is Peru's national cancer institute, based in Lima, serving as the country's primary reference center for oncology diagnosis, treatment, and research. In the H2020 context, they contribute clinical data, patient cohorts, and regional expertise on cancers prevalent in Latin American populations — particularly liver cancer, gallbladder cancer, and sarcomas. Their value lies in providing access to Andean patient populations and epidemiological data that are underrepresented in European research, making them a critical partner for studies requiring global cohort diversity.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

INEN's H2020 involvement is compact (2018–2019 start dates), so evolution is limited but shows a clear broadening. Their earliest project (COCLICAN, 2018) focused narrowly on liver cancer detection using metabolomics and imaging in developing countries. By 2019, they expanded into two additional cancer types — sarcomas and gallbladder cancer — with a stronger emphasis on precision medicine, individualized prevention, and building European-Latin American research bridges.

INEN is positioning itself as the go-to Latin American clinical partner for European cancer research consortia, particularly for cancers with high prevalence in Andean populations.

How they like to work

INEN never coordinates — they join as a participant or third party, contributing clinical expertise and patient access rather than project management. With 35 unique partners across 15 countries from just 3 projects, they operate in large, geographically diverse consortia. This profile suggests an organization that is sought out for its unique regional data and clinical access rather than one that drives project design.

Despite only 3 projects, INEN connects with 35 partners across 15 countries, reflecting its role in large international consortia that bridge European and Latin American research communities. Their network spans both EU member states and Latin American nations.

What sets them apart

INEN is one of very few Latin American national cancer institutes active in H2020, giving European consortia direct access to Andean patient populations and cancer epidemiology data unavailable elsewhere. For any project studying cancers with geographic variation in incidence — gallbladder cancer, liver cancer, specific sarcoma subtypes — INEN provides an irreplaceable non-European clinical perspective. They are particularly valuable for projects requiring global cohort diversity to meet regulatory or scientific rigor standards.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EULAT Eradicate GBC
  A long-running EU-Latin American consortium (2019–2026) targeting gallbladder cancer eradication — a cancer with dramatically higher incidence in Andean populations than in Europe.
• SELNET
  Largest funded project for INEN (EUR 176,400), using sarcoma as a model to improve diagnosis and clinical care of rare tumors across European and Latin American networks.