Grants for implementation research on women’s cancers
Why implementation research on women’s cancers?
Women’s cancers represent a major global health challenge. Each year, breast and cervical cancer account for approximately three million new cases and one million deaths worldwide. The burden falls disproportionately on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where nearly 65% of deaths from these cancers occur.
Despite the availability of cost-effective and evidence-based interventions for prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment and palliative care, significant gaps remain in their implementation. Barriers such as limited service integration, inequitable access, low uptake of services and health system constraints continue to prevent many women from benefitting from proven cancer interventions.
To help address these challenges, UICC is launching a competitive call for grants for implementation research on women’s cancers. The grants aim to support civil society organisations and other eligible organisations in generating practical, context-specific insights on how to improve the delivery, adoption, adaptation and scale-up of effective evidence-based interventions. By strengthening understanding of what works, for whom and under what circumstances, these grants will contribute to more equitable cancer prevention and care for women.
About the grants
In line with the World Health Organization's Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative (CCEI) and Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI), the projects supported through this call will contribute to advancing progress towards the respective global targets, strengthening implementation, and helping to reduce inequities in women's cancer outcomes.
Successful organisations may apply for grants of up to USD 40,000 to support implementation research projects focused on women's cancers.
Projects should focus on generating evidence on how to implement, adapt, or strengthen the implementation of evidence-based interventions for women's cancers within real-world settings.
Projects can explore topics such as:
- Improving outreach to underserved populations
- Strengthening referral and diagnostic pathways
- Understanding and addressing barriers to accessing screening, treatment, or palliative care
- Integrated service delivery approaches for women's health
- Improving the implementation of national cancer policies and guidelines
How to apply
Interested organisations are encouraged to review the grant application guidelines (link below).
Applications will open on 17 July and are to be submitted by 31 August at 23:59 CEST through UICC’s Grant Management System.
Contact
For all questions about the application or the grant management system please contact Victoria Paget at paget@uicc.org.
For interest in joining UICC as a member, please contact membership@uicc.org.
What is implementation research?
Implementation research seeks to understand how evidence-based interventions can be effectively delivered, adapted and sustained in real-world settings. It focuses on identifying barriers and facilitators to implementation and generating practical evidence to improve programme delivery and health outcomes.
Who can apply for these grants?
Applications are open to UICC member organisations. Organisations that are not yet UICC members may also apply, provided they submit a membership application in parallel and obtain membership before the application deadline. Applicants must have been registered for at least two years and demonstrate experience in cancer control and project implementation. UICC is particularly encouraging applications from civil society organisations, or projects that will be delivered in collaboration with such organisations, in order to further build the experience and capacity of civil society in implementation research.
How much funding is available?
Successful applicants may receive up to USD 40,000 to implement an implementation research project focused on women's cancers. Whilst projects can apply for the maximum amount, applicants are strongly encouraged to ensure that the budget requested is appropriately sized for the proposed project.
Which cancers are covered under this call?
Projects should focus on women's cancers, including breast and cervical cancer. Projects may also explore integrated approaches linking women's cancers with other relevant health services and programmes.
Can we apply if we have never conducted implementation research before?
Yes. Organisations do not need to be implementation research experts. However, applications should demonstrate an understanding of the problem being addressed and propose a feasible approach to generating implementation evidence. Projects can also be delivered as part of a collaboration with other institutions, such as local universities, to provide additional support in implementation research. UICC will also provide learning opportunities on implementation research and peer-learning support during the grant period.
Last update
Thursday 16 July 2026