"EUROCOURSE will tackle fragmentation in the funding and usage of cancer registries in Europe. It will do so by exploring ways to link and integrate national/regional programmes aimed at supporting cancer registries and research carried out using registry data. At the same time EUROCOURSE is seeking to optimize the use of cancer registration data for the amelioration of cancer control and the strengthening of population-based cancer research in Europe. EUROCOURSE will therefore adopt a two-pronged approach. Firstly, funding organisations, will exchange information, best practice and technical know-how in order to harmonise the way cancer registries are funded and organised. Secondly, cancer registries will be provided with the infrastructure necessary for harmonizing their data through exchange of technical know-how, best practices and the development of recommendations. Additionally, the process of data collection will be streamlined in order to provide comparable, accurate and timely statistics at the European level. EUROCOURSE’s consortium represents a significant coverage of the European Cancer Registry landscape. Given the large number of cancer registries and funding organizations supporting the registry network however, the project envisages a flexible structure, including the introduction of new parties during its lifetime. This will be done essentially through the working groups that are firmly embedded in the workpackages. EUROCOURSE’s inclusive approach will culminate in the FIRST EUROPEAN CANCER SUMMIT, which will aim to bring for the first time all stakeholders in the cancer control community in Europe – including funders, researchers and other interested parties – around one table to sketch out the future of European Cancer Registration in Cancer Control. EUROCOURSE will therefore expand as a direct consequence of the planned activities and therefore will have a major and sustained impact on cancer control and research in Europe."