ECMC quinquennial review 12-month delay

The experimental cancer medicine centres (ECMC) network quinquennial review process has been delayed for 12-months, due to the impact of the pandemic on the ECMC network sites.

The current five-year ECMC funding period (2017 – 2022) is due to end in March 2022. A quinquennial review process was scheduled to run between March and October this year to award funding for the fourth ECMC quinquennium (2022 – 2027). However, all sites in the network have been seriously impacted by the current wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

All ECMC funders have therefore agreed that the quinquennial review process is delayed by 12 months to enable sites to focus on the effects of the pandemic on their patients and site.

The quinquennial review process will now take place in 2022. The timeline for Cancer Research UK centres quinquennial review process remains unchanged.

Funding will be provided by all funders at current levels for the year 2022/23, subject to a successful annual renewal process. Details of the annual renewal process will be communicated to the network shortly.

Annual reporting for 2020/21 is still required to meet reporting needs of the funders. ECMC Leads should have already received their reporting documents. The reporting spreadsheet is slightly different from previous years to implement key changes from the ECMC network intelligence project.

We are providing additional support to help you complete the spreadsheet and the deadline for completion has been extended to June 2021. Please contact the ECMC programme office at ecmcadmin@cancer.org.uk for further details.

The change to quinquennial review process timing will also affect prioritisation, timelines and sequencing for other ECMC strategic projects, including the ECMC future network strategy and ECMC intelligence projects. We will convene a meeting for ECMC leads in due course to ensure that we agree together the priorities for the year ahead.

If you have any questions regarding this delay, please don’t hesitate to contact the ECMC programme office at ecmcadmin@cancer.org.uk.