R.E KAVETSKY INSTITUTE OF EXPERIMENTAL PATHOLOGY, ONCOLOGY AND RADIOBIOLOGY OF NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF UKRAINE

Their core work

The Kavetsky Institute is one of Ukraine's principal biomedical research centers, operating under the National Academy of Sciences with a core mandate in experimental oncology, cancer pathology, and radiobiology. In H2020, their work split across two distinct but complementary directions: cancer immunotherapy — specifically DNA-based tumor vaccines with optimized adjuvant delivery systems — and the application of nanoporous sorbent materials for medical detoxification, including removal of heavy metals and radioactive contaminants from the body via haemoperfusion. Given Ukraine's particular exposure to radiological hazards since Chernobyl, their expertise in biological decontamination carries real-world urgency that most European research institutes lack. The institute contributes specialized laboratory and translational research capacity to international consortia rather than leading projects independently.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their first H2020 project (VACTRAIN, 2016) was firmly in cancer biology — DNA vaccines, adjuvant chemistry, immunotherapy of tumours — developed through researcher exchange with European partners under MSCA-RISE. Their second project (NanoMed, starting 2017) shifted the emphasis toward materials science applied to medicine, with nanoporous sorbents for removing heavy metals and radioactive substances from the body replacing immunotherapy as the central topic. This movement from pure cancer biology toward materials-medicine intersections — particularly detoxification applications — suggests the institute is broadening its research portfolio to cover environmental and radiological medical challenges alongside its oncology core.

IEPOR appears to be expanding from experimental oncology into nanomaterial-based medical applications — particularly sorbent technologies for environmental toxin and radioactive contaminant removal — a direction that combines their radiobiology heritage with growing EU interest in medical countermeasures for chemical and radiological exposure.

How they like to work

IEPOR participates exclusively as a consortium member and has not coordinated any H2020 project, which is consistent with an institute that contributes specialist research capacity rather than managing large-scale EU administration. Despite only two projects, they connected with 15 partners across 13 countries, indicating involvement in large, geographically distributed networks — the MSCA-RISE model encourages exactly this kind of broad, multi-node researcher exchange. For a prospective partner, this means IEPOR is experienced at working within diverse consortia but will expect the coordination burden to sit elsewhere.

From just two projects, IEPOR built connections with 15 distinct partners across 13 countries — an unusually broad reach for such a small H2020 footprint, reflecting the large-network structure of MSCA-RISE schemes. Their geographic spread likely extends beyond the EU to include MSCA partner countries, consistent with their Eastern European base and international science exchange objectives.

What sets them apart

IEPOR occupies a narrow but genuine niche: a research institute combining experimental oncology with radiobiology and — crucially — direct institutional experience with radioactive contamination, giving them credibility in biological decontamination that few Western European partners can match. Their work on sorbent-based haemoperfusion for radioactive and heavy-metal removal is specialized and difficult to replicate outside institutes shaped by Ukraine's post-Chernobyl research history. For consortia needing an Eastern European partner with oncology depth, radiobiology infrastructure, or expertise in medical responses to radiological exposure, IEPOR is a credible and cost-effective addition.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NanoMed
  The longest-running project (five years, 2017–2022) and largest budget (EUR 175,500), combining nanoporous materials engineering with radioactive contamination treatment and haemoperfusion — a niche that few biomedical institutes globally can credibly claim.
• VACTRAIN
  An MSCA-RISE twinning project on DNA-based cancer vaccines that demonstrated early immunotherapy research capacity — and connected IEPOR to a 13-country network — before cancer immunotherapy became a dominant EU funding theme.