The Wales Cancer Institute is a central partnership of collaborative research groups to increase the quantity and quality of cancer research in Wales, translating work done in the laboratories and clinical trials into new cancer drugs and new treatments. This virtual institute brings together researchers, charities, clinicians, universities and government organisations from all over the principality, working together to enable researchers and clinicians to work on new drugs and turn this work into new treatments for patients around Wales.

The 6 strategic aims of the institute are:

1) To build further on this strength in existing areas, plus to extend this work to other cancer sites where there is a strong local track record in basic and/or clinical research (for example, colorectal). Focus on haematology, breast, colorectal and prostate cancer.

2) To achieve CR-UK cancer research centre status and from that or other funding to recruit new posts in academic medical oncology to take forward new drug development opportunities in solid tumours.

3) To establish the WCB as a UK centre of excellence for tissue-based biomarker assays and quality assurance.

4) To establish a rolling fellowship programme at both pre and post-doctoral levels.

5) To expand health services research in cancer in screening, prevention and primary care, seeking funding not only from UK sources, but also from WORD.

6) To exploit the new funding opportunities for research in palliative care to develop new clinical research programmes in this sub-speciality.

The institute operates via a Partners Forum where representatives from each organisation meet to take forward the strategic aims of the institute. This group is chaired by Dame Deidre Hine, former Chief Medical Officer for Wales.

The key groupings of the Institute are the Wales Cancer Trials Network, the Wales Cancer Bank, the Experimental Cancer Medicine centre, Basic Science, the National Collaborating Centre for Cancer and the Wales Cancer Trials Unit.