MISSION

 

Porto.CCC is committed to promoting innovation and advancing research in oncology, translating knowledge into tangible benefits for patients and transforming cancer treatment. This mission relies on a community of experts, combining high-quality clinical care, advanced scientific research, specialised teaching and training, and strong engagement with the community.

Porto.CCC aims to:

  • Support collaborative and interdisciplinary research in oncology with a focus on clinical benefit for patients
  • Provide high-quality inpatient and outpatient facilities to support clinical research activities
  • Ensure quality assurance of diagnostic capabilities in molecular pathology and imaging
  • Foster robust pre-clinical research aligned with clinical trial infrastructures
  • Train the next generation of translational scientists and clinical investigators
  • Disseminate research nationally and internationally through scientific events and publications, with special emphasis on oncology
  • Promote innovation, technological patents, and the creation of spin-off companies

Bedside to Bench and Back (B3)

The “Bedside to Bench and Back” (B3) concept illustrates Porto.CCC’s operation. “Bedside” represents IPO Porto’s daily contact with the real needs of cancer patients. These clinical challenges drive research at i3S and IPO Porto (Bench) to develop innovative solutions. These solutions are then translated back into patient care through clinical trials (Back), closing the cycle of discovery and ensuring that research directly improves treatments and patient outcomes. This cyclical approach keeps the patient at the centre of innovation.

Porto.CCC Brochure 

 

External Scientific Council (ESAB)

The External Scientific Advisory Board (ESAB) of Porto. Comprehensive Cancer Centre Raquel Seruca was established in early 2022 and is composed of distinguished, internationally renowned researchers across various facets of cancer research:

  • Prof. Ulrik Ringborg (Chairman), Director of Cancer Centre Karolinska, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden;
  • Prof. Alexander Eggermont, Chief Scientific Officer, Princess Máxima Centre for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, The Netherlands;
  • Prof. Alexander Markham, Director of MRC Medical Bioinformatics Centre, Health Data Research UK, London, United Kingdom;
  • Prof. Robert C. Bast Jr., Vice President for Translational Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA;
  • Prof. Stefan Fröhling, Managing Director of National Centre for Tumor Diseases, Heidelberg, Germany.

The ESAB plays a key role in advising, reviewing, and guiding the scientific and clinical strategy of Porto.CCC, helping to ensure the highest standards of excellence, innovation, and international impact in cancer research and care.

 

LANDMARKS

2026

Porto.CCC é finalista dos REGIOSTARS Awards 2026

The Porto Comprehensive Cancer Center Raquel Seruca (Porto.CCC), through the TeamUp4Cancer project, has been selected as a finalist for the 2026 REGIOSTARS Awards in the “A Competitive and Smart Europe” category. Organized annually by the European Commission, the REGIOSTARS awards recognize European Union-funded projects that demonstrate excellence, innovation, and impact on regional development. From a record number of 274 applications, 25 finalists were selected across five categories.

TeamUp4Cancer is one of the five finalists in its category and the only Portuguese project among those selected. Developed by IPO Porto and i3S as part of Porto.CCC, TeamUp4Cancer has strengthened the Northern region’s capacity in the field of precision oncology by integrating research, clinical care, and advanced technological infrastructure. The project has made it possible to create Portugal’s first Precision Oncology Program, provide more than 1,500 patients with access to advanced diagnostics, and expand participation in clinical trials, including early-phase studies.

The finalist projects are also in the running for the People’s Choice Award, which is determined by public vote. Voting will take place from September 3 to October 14, 2026. For more information: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/projects/regio-stars-awards_en#inline-nav-1

 

2022

Porto.CCC recognised internationally in cancer care and research

Porto.Comprehensive Cancer Centre Raquel Seruca (Porto.CCC) receives renewed accreditation as a Comprehensive Cancer Centre until 2027, confirming IPO Porto and i3S as the only Portuguese institutions with this prestigious recognition. The reaccreditation follows an evaluation by the Organization of European Cancer Institutes (OECI), the only European body authorised to accredit best practices in cancer care and research. The recertification demonstrates IPO Porto and i3S’s commitment to knowledge production, innovation, quality care, and patient safety, ensured through best practices, allowing greater efficiency and the delivery of high-quality healthcare. Porto.CCC has also presented a strategic action plan to enhance fundamental, translational, and clinical research, aiming to double the number of cancer patients participating in clinical trials.

 

2022

Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre renamed in honour of Raquel Seruca

In 2022, the Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre is renamed to honour the legacy of Raquel Seruca, a brilliant scientist and an extraordinary woman who played a central role in the development of the consortium. Now called the Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre Raquel Seruca, the centre continues its pioneering mission to shorten and improve the cycle of scientific discovery in neoplastic and preneoplastic diseases, strengthening translational research and patient-centred innovation. Raquel Seruca’s groundbreaking work, including her coordination of the TeamUp4Cancer project that secured over €15 million in funding, laid the foundation for advanced infrastructure, specialised human resources, and cutting-edge research that enables new strategies for early diagnosis, monitoring, and personalised treatment of cancer patients. By adding her name to the centre, Porto.CCC not only pays tribute to an exceptional scientist and visionary but also reaffirms its commitment to realising her vision of science that directly benefits patients.

 

2021

Signature of the TeamUp4Cancer Program Contract

Porto.CCC secures funding from the North Regional Operational Program (NORTE 2020) under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), totaling €17,636,783.53, to support the collaborative Scientific Project TeamUp4Cancer. This project will be carried out over two years by research groups from both institutions [NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-072678].

 

2021

European Cancer Research Summit

The Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto, as a member of the Porto.CCC consortium, hosts on May 3 the European Cancer Research Summit 2021, an international summit dedicated to discussing the importance of research infrastructures in the field of cancer, which brings together several dozen internationally renowned scientists. The highlight of the conference is the public presentation of the Porto Declaration on Cancer Research, a declaration calling for the strengthening of cancer research across Europe at all stages, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. This event is part of an initiative led by the Tripartite Presidency of the European Council (Germany, Portugal, and Slovenia), which identified research in the fight against cancer as one of Europe’s priorities, with the goal of significantly reducing cancer mortality by 2030.

Porto Declaration on Cancer Research 

 

2018

1st Gago Conference

Through i3S, Porto.CCC coordinates the first edition of the Gago Conference, an event that brings together doctors, researchers, and national and European leaders in the field of oncology, including members of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences. The conference focuses on promoting clinical cancer research across Europe, aiming to lessen cancer’s impact on society. The event is attended by the Minister of Health, Adalberto Campos Fernandes, and the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor.

 

2017

Porto.CCC holds its first joint public presentation of the 2016 Research Report at the i3S facilities.

 

2016

With the creation of i3S, new opportunities arise to strengthen and expand the PORTO COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTRE consortium. The collaboration protocol is signed on April 17, 2016, in the presence of the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, and the Secretary of State for Health, Manuel Delgado.