STICHTING KANKERREGISTER - FONDATION REGISTRE DU CANCER

Their core work

BCR is the Belgian Cancer Registry — the national institution responsible for systematically collecting, validating, and analyzing data on every cancer case diagnosed in Belgium. They are the authoritative source of population-level cancer incidence, prevalence, and survival statistics for the country, and their database represents decades of real-world clinical data that researchers cannot replicate. In EU research projects, they contribute this population-scale registry as a validation and reference asset, as well as biospecimen-linked data collections integrated with European biobanking infrastructure. More recently, they have extended their role into molecular oncology diagnostics, providing clinical grounding for next-generation sequencing and liquid biopsy technologies being developed for routine cancer care.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 work (2015–2019), BCR focused on infrastructure: connecting national cancer registry biospecimen collections to the BBMRI-ERIC European biobanking network, with significant attention to IT interoperability and ethics frameworks for sensitive health data. By 2020, their focus shifted markedly toward clinical molecular diagnostics — next-generation sequencing, liquid biopsies, genomics, and the clinical validity requirements imposed by EU IVD regulations, through the oncNGS consortium. This progression mirrors the broader cancer research field: moving from building data infrastructure toward using that infrastructure to validate precision diagnostics at the point of care.

BCR is evolving from a passive data custodian contributing registry access to an active partner in clinical validation of molecular oncology diagnostics, making them increasingly relevant for precision medicine consortia requiring real-world cancer population data.

How they like to work

BCR participates exclusively as a consortium partner — they have not coordinated any H2020 project — which reflects their role as a specialized data contributor rather than a project driver. Despite modest funding allocations, they operate within large multi-national consortia: 43 unique partners across 20 countries from just two projects signals that they are sought-after nodes in health research networks rather than lead actors. Working with BCR means accessing Belgium's national cancer dataset and the regulatory credibility of a recognized national health authority, but project leadership and administrative coordination should come from elsewhere in the consortium.

BCR has engaged with 43 unique partners across 20 countries through only 2 projects, indicating consistent participation in large, geographically diverse EU consortia. Their Brussels location places them close to EU health institutions and policy bodies, which likely reinforces their value as a national registry voice in European research governance.

What sets them apart

As Belgium's official national cancer registry, BCR holds a data asset that no private research organization or university can replicate: a complete, validated, population-level record of cancer cases across the entire country, linkable to clinical and biospecimen data. This makes them uniquely valuable for any consortium that needs real-world incidence benchmarks, clinical validation cohorts, or regulatory-grade evidence for IVD diagnostics. For partners developing oncology diagnostics, precision medicine tools, or health data platforms, BCR provides both the data depth and the institutional legitimacy to satisfy regulatory and ethical requirements that purely academic partners cannot.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ADOPT BBMRI-ERIC
  Largest single funding allocation (EUR 108,312) and foundational to BCR's EU profile — it established their integration into the pan-European biobanking infrastructure, opening the door to all subsequent molecular research collaborations.
• oncNGS
  Funded under PCP (Pre-Commercial Procurement), a rare and strategically significant scheme that signals BCR is part of a public health system actively procuring next-generation diagnostics for clinical deployment, not just academic research.