INTER-LOCAL: international call for better local treatment of rare and/or hard to treat cancers

Five leading European cancer charities are joining forces in INTER-LOCAL, in international funding call aimed at accelerating clinical research into local treatment strategies for rare and hard-to-treat cancers.

The Swedish Cancer Society (Sweden), Norwegian Cancer Society (Norway), Scientific Foundation of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (Spain), Stand up to Cancer (Belgium) and the Dutch Cancer Society (the Netherlands) are collaborating to stimulate cross-border clinical trials that focus on innovative local therapies in the domain of surgery and radiotherapy.

The INTER-LOCAL call supports late-phase (phase 2/3), international clinical trials focused on local treatment interventions for rare and/or hard-to-treat cancers. Eligible proposals must demonstrate:

• A clear focus on rare cancers (incidence <6/100.000/year) and/or hard-to-treat cancers with low survival rates (5-year-survival <25%)
• Use of radiotherapy or surgery as the core experimental intervention
• A strong rationale for international collaboration, including patient recruitment, harmonization of protocols and implementation of results
• Inclusion of partners from at least three of the five funding countries, with optional inclusion centers from other countries (maximum collaboration between the funding countries will be taken into account during the evaluation of the clinical trial applications)
• A robust plan for patient involvement, quality-of-life assessment and long-term impact

Deadlines:

• Pre-proposal application: 22 January 2026 (12:00 CET)
• Closure full proposals: 18 June 2026 (12:00 CET)