Each year, Cancer Center Amsterdam (CCA) offers several funding opportunities to stimulate innovative cancer research. These include the annual Cancer Center Amsterdam Call for Proposals, made possible through the fundraising activities of the Cancer Center Amsterdam Foundation. In addition, CCA provides travel grants, support for the publication of PhD theses, funding for topical meetings, and visiting professorships.
Overview
| Grant (click button for more info) | Deadline | Amount | Status |
| CCA call 2026 | 23 August 2026 | €210.000 | Open |
| PoC studies 2026 | 23 August 2026 | €50.000 | Open |
| Nursing call 2026 | 1 October 2026 | €50.000 | Open |
| Thesis printing | Rolling | €250 | Open |
| Travel grant | Rolling | €2250 | Open |
| Visiting professorships | 19 June 2026 | €20.000 | Closed |
| Organization topical meeting | Rolling | €2500 | Open |
| Publication and thesis award | 27 February 2026 | - | Closed |
Cancer Center Amsterdam Call 2026
Internal CCA grants are funded through the fundraising activities of the Cancer Center Amsterdam Foundation. Researchers at Amsterdam UMC are invited to submit innovative cancer research proposals, including translational, clinical and quality-of-life projects.
Goal
The programme supports promising, innovative projects that are not yet ready for external funding. Its purpose is to help researchers generate sufficient preliminary data to submit competitive applications to external funding organisations, such as the Dutch Cancer Society or the Dutch Research Council. Projects with substantial preliminary data are encouraged to apply directly for external funding, as these projects are less likely to receive internal CCA support.
Status: Open for submissions
Deadline: 23 August 2026 (pre-proposals)
Documents
Cancer Center Amsterdam Proof of Concept (PoC) studies 2026
Following the success of last year's programme, the Cancer Center Amsterdam Board is pleased to announce a new call for Proof of Concept (PoC) studies. This funding opportunity is supported by the Cancer Center Amsterdam Foundation.
Goal
The PoC grant aims to translate promising findings from Amsterdam UMC preclinical research into a first-in-human clinical Proof-of-Concept study. Successful projects are expected to generate the data needed to support larger clinical trials. Applications must be submitted through the chair(s) of a patient research group (see the call documents for details).
Status: Open for submissions
Deadline: 23 August 2026 (pre-proposals)
Documents
Cancer Center Amsterdam Nursing Call 2026
This programme, funded by the Cancer Center Amsterdam Foundation, supports innovative cancer research by master's-educated nurses, including nurse specialists, who aspire to conduct scientific research.
Goal
The nursing call aims to encourage nurses to conduct scientific research that improves the quality of care and enhances nursing practice for oncological patients. In addition, the call aims to enhance collaboration and engagement between nurse researchers and the Cancer Center Amsterdam.
Status: Open for submissions
Deadline: 1 October 2026 (full proposals)
Documents
Financial subsidy for thesis publication
Cancer Center Amsterdam contributes €250 towards the printing costs of PhD theses for eligible CCA PhD candidates.
Eligibility requirements
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Be registered with Cancer Center Amsterdam (in Hora Finita for VUmc PhD candidates), receive CCA emails and newsletters, and have been affiliated with the institute from the start of their PhD project or since the institute's establishment.
- Have participated in at least one Cancer Center Amsterdam retreat.
- The affiliation with Cancer Center Amsterdam in publications must correspond to the applicant (see Research information for correct affiliation for publications and theses).
- Inform CCA of the thesis title, defense date, time and location, and the names of the (co-)promotors as soon as these have been confirmed.
- Submit and receive approval for the application before the thesis is printed, as the required acknowledgement must be included in the thesis.
- Submit the reimbursement request within three months of incurring the printing costs.
Status: Continuous open for application.
Documents
Submit the completed application form to cca@amsterdamumc.nl. Incomplete applications and declarations submitted later than 3 months after the printing costs are made will not be taken into consideration.
Approval
If your application is approved, the following acknowledgement must be included in your thesis:“Financial support for printing of this thesis was kindly provided and supported by Cancer Center Amsterdam”.
Reimbursement
The reimbursement request must be submitted within three months after the printing costs are made. Please include:
- Proof of payment for the printing costs.
- The approval email from Cancer Center Amsterdam.
Instructions for submitting the reimbursement request will be provided after your application has been approved.
CCA travel grant
Goal
CCA travel grants provide PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, research technicians, research nurses and laboratory technicians with the opportunity to visit an international research institute to learn novel preclinical or clinical methods and techniques.
These visits should benefit both the applicant and Cancer Center Amsterdam by:
- Expanding scientific expertise to support ongoing research.
- The experience abroad improves your cv and helps with future grant applications.
- Strengthening international collaborations.
- Introducing new technologies and methodologies to Amsterdam UMC.
Applicants may request funding for a research stay of 1–2 months, with a maximum grant of €2250.
Status: Continuous open for application until the maximum of the annual budget (€25,000 euro) is reached.
Documents
Subsidy for topical meetings
Goal
This subsidy supports the organisation of research meetings focused on a specific cancer-related topic, such as gastrointestinal or brain tumours. Meetings should promote interaction between fundamental, translational and clinical researchers and must be organised by Amsterdam UMC.
Applicants may request funding of up to €2500 per meeting.
Status: Continuous open for application.
Documents
Visiting professorship call
Goal
This programme supports invitations to internationally recognised researchers whose expertise will enhance the scientific quality, impact and visibility of Cancer Center Amsterdam.
During their visit, the professor is expected to:
- Conduct his/her own research
- Deliver lectures and masterclasses.
- Meet with graduate and postgraduate researchers.
- Develop collaborative research with CCA investigators.
- Organise, together with local hosts, an international symposium or summer school.
Status: Closed for submissions.
Documents
Publication and thesis award
Each year, Cancer Center Amsterdam recognizes outstanding scientific achievements through its Publication and Thesis Awards. These awards celebrate high-quality research, exceptional PhD theses and impactful clinical contributions within the field of oncology.
Award winners are announced and honoured during the annual Cancer Center Amsterdam Conference, where they will present their research to the CCA community.
Status: Closed for submissions.