Kick-off for the EU PIECES Project

On 22-23 June, a kick-off was arranged in Barcelona for the EU PIECES Project, in which Bergen Health Trust/Haukeland University Hospital joined as partners. The project aims to develop, evaluate and make available a methodological implementation tool specifically aimed at cancer prevention.

Given the high and increasing global burden of cancer, successful implementation of cancer prevention programmes is essential. Many evidence-based programmes often face challenges when implemented in real-world settings. The PIECES Project aims to overcome these challenges and lay the foundation for successful cancer prevention initiatives on a global scale.

The PIECES Project will provide a digital tool that contributes to the identification, selection and adaptation of cancer prevention programmes. It will also support the development of evidence-based implementation strategies that take into account local barriers and contexts. The tool contains a comprehensive collection of cancer prevention programmes focusing on six risk factors for cancer: tobacco, alcohol, UV radiation, HPV, nutrition and physical activity. The tool will also include theory of behaviour change, as well as implementation support.

Funded by the European Union

The ambitious project is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme with more than MEUR 7.7 (MNOK 90.5). The project consists of a consortium of 15 partners from ten different countries with broad sociocultural backgrounds. The countries in question have a combined population of about 77.7 million inhabitants, providing an ideal natural laboratory for research and improving the scale-up and implementation of cancer prevention programmes.

To ensure the success of the project, a multicenter case study will be conducted to evaluate and optimise implementation results. Using various sociological theories, the method (Realist Evaluation) will provide insight into the processes that lead to these results.

Researcher Robin Kenter and research assistant Hanne Karoline Hinderaker at Forhelse SFI at HBE/HUH contribute to the project with research on implementation strategies, evaluation of the effects of different strategies and development of the implementation tool. They will collaborate with Amsterdam UMC Trimbos-Institute, IDIBELL and Institute Catala d’Oncologia.

We look forward to the results and impact of the PIECES Project, as it has the potential to increase the effectiveness of cancer prevention measures and improve public health at a European level.