Editorial

If 2018 was the year of laying Oncode’s foundations and building momentum, 2019 was the year of building on those achievements, adapting where necessary, and starting new initiatives. It was the year in which it became clear what the future we are working towards could look like. It was also the year in which the Oncode base-fund, specifically aimed at allowing researchers to explore innovative basic and pre-clinical research lines, was financed and rolled out.

2019: Building on Success and Launching New Initiatives

Several new Oncode base-funded research lines are already creating impact on multiple levels, while others have the potential to do so in the near future. Driven by our mission to outsmart cancer and impact lives, we believe the funding and the supportive collaborative environment we are creating will help Oncode researchers to reach their maximum innovation potential.

Outsmarting cancer is one of the most ambitious missions of our times - one that no single group can embark on and hope to complete on its own. We believe that to successfully beat this collection of diseases we need to join hands and face the challenge together. It’s why collaboration, one of Oncode’s core pillars, is at the forefront of everything we do - from community building to our valorization efforts. Oncode’s scientific community is deliberately set up to promote interdisciplinary research, reduce barriers to collaboration, and foster a culture of openness and sharing. The initiative has already resulted in joint grant applications, public private partnerships and numerous interdisciplinary collaborations, both internally and externally. Our Valorization Team’s relationship building and proactive approach have led to partnerships with industry, secured additional funding support, and enabled the set-up of contracts, collaborative research agreements and patent applications. Integrated into the Oncode labs to support Oncode Investigators in every way they can, the Valorization Team also helps with the creation of new start-ups.

Oncode’s scientific community is deliberately set up to promote interdisciplinary research, reduce barriers to collaboration, and foster a culture of openness and sharing.

This public summary of our 2019 Annual Report is a showcase for the year’s highlights. Our research community grew with 19 new Investigators in 2019. We launched our Industry Engagement Programme and the Oncode digital magazine, and we hosted a variety of meetings and events. Oncode funded five Infrastructure & Technologies (I & T) projects, and three new Clinical Proof-of-Concept (CPoC) studies. During the year, our researchers won prestigious grants and awards, and published high-impact papers in top-tier journals. The feedback we received about Oncode’s impact on our researchers’ science, network and valorization confirms the value of our work and everything we stand for. The road ahead remains challenging, but looking back at 2019 we are proud of what we have already achieved and confident about the future.

The Oncode Management Board 