Cancer: Italy invests 2.47 billion in research, Airc is the top non-profit

Sixty years ago, in 1965, the Italian Association for Cancer Research was founded. Today, Airc is celebrating an anniversary that is not just remembrance, but renewed commitment. Because cancer continues to represent one of the greatest global challenges: according to the WHO, cases will double by 2050 and with them mortality. Cancer research is therefore not a secondary chapter, but the real frontier for public health and the country's scientific competitiveness. "Airc has made a decisive contribution to promoting social awareness of cancer, turning prevention and the search for a cure into a mass objective. Also thanks to the Foundation, Italy has overcome the fact that even mentioning cancer was a taboo," said Health Minister Orazio Schillaci on the occasion of the Foundation's important 'birthday'. A birthday that coincides with the presentation of the report 'At the Sources of Cancer Research', produced by Cergas Sda Bocconi, which for the first time systematically maps the funding allocated to oncological research in Italy in the period 2016-2023. The analysis shows a rich but fragmented system in need of a coherent national strategy.

Worldwide, funding for cancer research has grown to over USD 8 billion a year, with the United States leading in investment and patents, followed by the United Kingdom and Europe. But the system remains unbalanced: over 60% of resources are concentrated on basic research and drug development, while prevention receives little more than crumbs. The most lethal cancers, such as lung, pancreas and stomach, are also penalised, receiving far less funding than their epidemiological impact.

Between 2016 and 2023, Italy allocated some EUR 2.47 billion to cancer research. Almost half of the funds come from the non-profit sector: 1.17 billion in total, of which as much as 973 million provided by Airc. This is followed by the Ministry of Health with 635 million, the European Union with 505 million, the Ministry of University and Research with 120 million, and smaller contributions from Aifa (15.5 million) and the Regions (20.5 million).

The Ministry of Health remains a pillar of the public system thanks to 'current research' in the Irccs, which alone absorbs over 80% of ministerial funds. The European Union is a strategic driver with 221 million from the NRP and almost 186 million from the Horizon programmes. But the Italian primacy remains that of the non-profit sector, with Airc playing a leading role in terms of continuity, size and quality of funding.

In sixty years, Airc has provided more than EUR 2.5 billion, supporting thousands of projects and training generations of researchers. Today it is the non-profit organisation that feeds competitive cancer research in Italy more than any other. "A global awareness has allowed the funds allocated to cancer research to increase significantly in recent years," explains Daniele Finocchiaro, CEO of Fondazione Airc. The Cergas study confirms that non-profit organisations play a crucial role, and Airc's contribution was particularly relevant. There are many challenges ahead of us and no one can face them alone: we need a synergy between institutions and public and private players. The challenge for the future is to develop effective forms of collaboration between all funding bodies, in order to maximise results towards the goal we all share: making cancer increasingly curable'.