Research and development projects

Research and development are important for FICAN West.

DigiCanTrain

– Digital Skills Training for Health Care Professionals in Oncology

Cancer is one of the most common diseases in Europe. Correctly used eHealth technology can be a useful tool for facilitating a dialogue among health care professionals (HCPs) and meet health and care needs of people affected by cancer. Digital technology is an inevitable part of the future of European healthcare. Despite the current use of e-technology, its positive effects and its potential, most health professionals feel insufficiently trained to deal with the digital revolution.

The project aims at up-skilling and re-skilling the health care workforce in the cancer care setting. This supports the development of effective, person-centred health care, digital cancer care services and the use of contemporary eHealth technology by the HCPs.
The project also contributes to shaping the lifelong learning dimension in higher education (EQF levels 6-8) by integrating micro-credentials to accompany ECTS and CME credit systems. The purpose of the project is to design, pilot and evaluate DigiCanTrain education and training programme for trainers, clinical and non-clinical HCPs. The ultimate goal is to improve access to continuing professional education, increase digital skills and the use of eHealth technology of clinical and non-clinical health care professionals working with people affected by cancer.

The project is carried out by the following partners:

Turku University of Applied Sciences, Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (THL), University of Turku, European Oncology Nursing Society, European Cancer Organisation, University of Galway, Tallinn Health Care College, Turku University Hospital, Varsinais-Suomen hyvinvointialue, Institute Oncologic “Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuta” Cluj-Napoca, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Catalan Institute of Oncology, National Cancer Control Programme Ireland, Cancer Society of Finland CSF, Health Campus Turku and FICANWest.

The project is funded by: EU4Health programme.

Transdisciplinary mentoring as a mechanism for developing cooperation in translational research

Turku University of Economics and FICAN West have jointly started a two-year collaboration project: Transdisciplinary mentoring as a mechanism for developing cooperation in translational research. The project is financed by the Finnish Work Environment Fund. As part of the project, we will establish a mentoring program for FICAN West to enhance local collaboration in cancer research across organizations, and at the individual level, to provide support for learning at work and strengthen well-being.

In this mentoring program, it is central that for each mentoring pair one comes with clinical background and one with basic research background, with the aim to transfer the silent knowledge, develop one’s research and familiarize with other working cultures.

Translational research that crosses disciplinary, organizational and professional boundaries is challenging, but it is the prerequisite to make new forms of treatment available to patients more efficiently.

Cancer research expert catalogue

Finnish Cancer Research – Expert Catalogue is a browser-based digital tool that aims to record the expertise and experts in the field of cancer research in Finland. The Expert Catalogue helps researchers to locate an expert with specific spectrum of expertise that is needed for a fruitful collaborative approach across academia, hospitals and the private sector.

The Expert Catalogue was established at the area of Western Finland Cancer Centre FICAN West in August 2021. It is a pilot effort of FICAN West in collaboration with Health Campus Turku and Turku Science Park Oy, and it has got financial support from BioCity Turku. We warmly welcome new users around Finland! The registration is free of charge for all users.

Read more from here: Finnish Cancer Research – Expert Catalogue

Hospital Districts

The Hospital District of Southwest Finland

The Hospital District of Satakunta Region (in Finnish)

Vaasa Hospital District