The European Commission has been showcasing success stories from the Digital Europe Program (DIGITAL), an EU initiative aimed at integrating digital technology into businesses, public services, and daily life.
The program focuses on six major cross-cutting areas: high-performance computing, AI, cybersecurity, digital skills, widespread digital adoption, and semiconductors. It drives digital technologies, collaborates with European entities to create practical solutions, and delivers results that enhance Europe’s digital independence and competitiveness.
As part of ANI’s work in representing Portugal in the Digital Europe Program, we have been highlighting projects involving national organizations, focused on fostering R&D for new digital solutions.
The EUCAIM (European Federation for Cancer Images) project, funded by the Digital Europe Program (DIGITAL) to the tune of 30 million euros, is transforming cancer diagnosis through a pan-European digital infrastructure. It began in January 2023 and is scheduled to end in December 2026. This effort is part of the European Beating Cancer Plan and aims to create a solid base of cancer images and clinical data to support the development of artificial intelligence (AI) tools that improve cancer treatment and diagnosis. It has 76 partners in 14 countries.
The infrastructure already contains 200,000 images from 20,000 cancer patients and, by 2026, will include at least 50 AI tools and 30 data providers from 15 countries. The platform follows the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), guaranteeing data accessibility and interoperability.
National Participation
Four national organizations are taking part in this project, which has raised around 0.5 million euros. They are the University of Coimbra, the Santo António Local Health Unit, the SPMS – Shared Services of the Ministry of Health and the D. Anna de Sommer Champalimaud and Dr. Carlos Montez Champalimaud Foundation.
Results and Impact
Launched in September 2023, the first version of the infrastructure is already publicly available, containing a catalog of cancer imaging datasets. This platform will strengthen Europe’s position in digital health and promote cross-border collaboration in the development of AI for cancer. According to Regina Beets-Tan, President of the European Society of Radiology, “EUCAIM will be a paradigm in the choice of treatment and outcomes for cancer patients.”
Get to know EUCAIM.
