Cancer Research in Switzerland - Krebsliga Schweiz

The main focus of the research funding policy of
the boards of the SCL and CRS is patient-centred research,
or research that puts a priority on the needs
of patients. Specifically, this means research funds
are mainly granted to projects that aim to deliver
findings that will lead to direct benefits for people
affected by cancer – improvements in prevention, diagnosis,
and treatment or improvements in dealing
with the disease.
Clinical research stands in the foreground of the pa-
tient-centred research funding. In addition, projects
are funded in the areas of psychosocial research, epidemiology,
nursing sciences, prevention, public
health, and cancer care and outcome research (that
is, research on the quality, effectiveness, and cost
control of medical care). Basic research, which lies at
the other end of the research spectrum, delivers
findings on the biological and molecular mechanisms
of the development and spread of cancer. Based on
the ever improving understanding of the different
types of cancer, new and innovative methods in diagnosis
and treatment can be developed over the
longer term.
New record sums for research
The partner organizations SCL and CRS provided new
record levels of funding for research in 2009 and
2010. In those two years the total in funding for cancer
research projects and organizations, research
programmes, and bursaries was CHF 27.6 million,
with an annual average of CHF 13.8 million. A total
of 112 innovative research projects covering a broad
range of topics as well as three Swiss research organizations
were supported (Figure 1). Not included in
these figures are contributions made to other projects.
Also not included in these figures are the
approximately 50 research projects that are funded
by the cantonal and regional cancer leagues to
the amount of CHF 4.2 million annually; this funding
is included in this report for the first time (see
page 31).
These above-average levels of funding were made
possible by the generous contributions of the donors.
The new record sums are also due to another utilization
of reserves of the CRS and to several large bequests.
Figure 1
Cancer research funding by the partner organizations Swiss Cancer League (SCL) and Foundation Cancer Research
Switzerland (CRS) (independent research projects, bursaries, programme research, Swiss organizations) since the founding
of CRS in 1990
Total sum in million CHF: 42.6 (SCL), 131.4 (CRS)
Amount (in million CHF)
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
3,5
3,4
2,2
2,7 2,4
3,2
1,6 1,7 1,6
3,6 3,9
2,3
1990 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 2010
Swiss Cancer League (SCL) Cancer Research Switzerland (CRS)
4,4
1,7 1,9
5,1
2,7
3,9
4,9
1,6 1,7 2,0
5,8 6,1
8,9
11,8
9,2
1,4 1,1 1,2 1,3
9,5
2,1
11,5
3,1
8,9
9,1
7
13,1
2,6
2,9
2,4