Case Study: eHealth-Hub For Cancer, a €4M All-Island eHealth-Hub for Cancer Funded under the North South Research Programme (NSRP)

The All-Island eHealth Hub for Cancer is led by Professor Aedín Culhane, University of Limerick and Professor Mark Lawler, Queen’s University Belfast.

The initiative is creating the first truly connected cancer data research ecosystem across Ireland and Northern Ireland, aligning with the European Health Data Space and Health Data Research UK to support secure, interoperable secondary use of health data for research and innovation. Bringing together researchers from seven universities, eight academic teaching hospitals, cancer registries in both jurisdictions and patient advocacy groups, the Hub is transforming fragmented data into a FAIR-compliant, integrated resource that accelerates discovery and strengthens evidence-informed cancer policy. As high quality data becomes central to cancer strategies north and south of the border, the eHealth Hub for Cancer demonstrates how connected data can drive precision health, enhance public health planning and contribute to Europe’s federated data vision.

Achievements

• Cross-Border Collaboration: Delivered the first The All-Island Forum on Cancer Data and launched the highly influential “Harnessing the Power of Data” report, strengthening alignment of strategic data approaches across the island
• All-Island OHDSI Ireland Node: Convening monthly meetings, training, and seminars to build cross sector capacity and advance real-world evidence research aligned with European and global standards
• Secure Federated Data Infrastructure Piloted a privacy-preserving analytics framework using de-identified data from 350+ patients, which shows significant promise
•  Policy & System Impact Our data insights informed Ireland’s draft Right to Be Forgotten legislation to protect cancer survivors from financial discrimination. Our evaluation of the London Care Record indicated how digital transformation can reduce costs.
• Software & Decision Support Delivered tools including the Molecular Oncology Almanac, supporting analyses on medicine approval delays and contributed software now used globally (10,000+ downloads).
• Capacity Building Expanded cancer data expertise through microcredentials and early-career researcher training.