Bulgarian Joint Cancer Network

Bulgarian Joint Cancer Network (BJCN) is an independent, public-benefit, non-governmental scientific and professional oncology organisation and the coordinator of the Bulgarian National Cancer Mission Hub (BNCMH). BJCN operates as an open multidisciplinary cancer ecosystem, connecting clinical and scientific societies, healthcare organisations, academia, patients, public authorities, municipalities, industry and innovators. Its scope covers prevention and screening, diagnosis and treatment, comprehensive cancer care, survivorship and quality of life, cancer data, digital health, education and innovation. bjcn.bg

BJCN's distinctive European role is to connect research with implementation. Through its task-leading responsibilities in EU projects, coordination of the Bulgarian National Cancer Mission Hub, and engagement as a supportive national partner to complementary European initiatives, BJCN provides a structured interface between European science, national policy and real-world cancer care—helping ensure that research and innovation translate into sustainable capacity and measurable benefit for patients and citizens in Bulgaria.

BJCN has built an expanding European portfolio through Horizon Europe, the EU Mission on Cancer and EU4Health, with participation and substantive implementation roles in ECHoS/ECHoS II, 4P-CAN, CURTAIN, CCI4EU, EUnetCCC, JANE-2, EUonQoL and eCAN. Its strongest current contribution is increasingly centred on task leadership and national implementation: Cancer Mission Hub development and stakeholder/policy connectivity in ECHoS II; cancer literacy, digitalisation and responsible AI/LLM-related work in CURTAIN; and prevention research, citizen engagement, Living Labs and research-to-policy translation in 4P-CAN the new come initiative SYNERGE-EE. BJCN's established portfolio also covers Comprehensive Cancer Infrastructures, Networks of Expertise, quality of life, eHealth and sustainability.

Alongside formal project participation, BJCN is increasingly engaged as a supportive external European partner and national implementation interface for complementary initiatives including CANDLE, eCAN+, CanScreen-ECIS and CancerWatch—providing access to the Bulgarian cancer ecosystem, stakeholder mobilisation, policy and implementation expertise, cancer-data and screening perspectives, dissemination and exploitation pathways, and connectivity with the BNCMH. Its collaboration with IARC already supports work around screening quality, monitoring, data and evidence-based policy.

This combination of national coordination capacity, multidisciplinary oncology expertise, EU project implementation experience and direct connectivity with the Cancer Mission ecosystem makes BJCN an increasingly relevant European partner for new Horizon Europe, Mission Cancer and EU4Health consortia—particularly where projects require a credible bridge between research, policy, healthcare systems and real-world implementation in Central and Eastern Europe.