About ASEICA
The Spanish Association for Cancer Research (ASEICA) is a non-profit scientific society that was established in 1983. Our mission is to promote cancer research and science dissemination among professionals in oncology across Spain. With a translational outlook, ASEICA has become a meeting point between basic and clinical researchers, from predoctoral fellows to more senior researchers. At ASEICA, we channel breakthroughs in cancer research while simultaneously advocating for necessary improvements in science and facilitating the social implementation of research advancements in Spain. Cancer patients are at the heart of our work, with the ultimate aim of finding the best solutions for addressing the disease, from early diagnosis to new and advanced treatments to reduce cancer burden and increase patients’ survival.
ASEICA in Action
With continuous activity on social networks and a large presence in the media, at ASEICA we are reference in denouncing budgetary, bureaucratic and infrastructure limitations that significantly compromise the scientific and human potential of our country. In these 40 years, we have elaborated and presented more than 90 press release, reports, manifestos and opinion articles, in which specific proposals have been made with the final aim of advancing cancer research.
ASEICA has awarded over 500,000 € in research grants to support young researchers, both male and female, in the initial phases of their careers, and more than 100 awards for Scientific Career, Women in Science, Young Talent Basic research, Young Talent Clinical research and Social Commitment.
We are very enthusiastic about promoting collaborative actions and networking of our members at national and international levels. ASEICA has organized so far 18 international congresses, 3 educational symposia for young researchers, and 3 congresses in collaboration with the Portuguese Association for Cancer Research (ASPIC). Last year was the 40th anniversary of ASEICA and we celebrated it with the special “ASEICA 40th-Anniversary Congress”.
ASEICA at Work
ASEICA’s activities are focused towards the professional development of scientists, both male and female, in cancer research at any stage of their careers. We are also concerned about the significant challenges in attracting and retaining young talent. Female researchers continue to be a minority in leadership positions, leading us to believe that changes in scientific policies are necessary to address these limitations. To tackle these issues, we have established different working areas ASEICA-Youth, ASEICA-MED, and ASEICA-Women. These areas are complemented by ASEICA-Learn and ASEICA-Communication, which focus on promoting oncology education and disseminating various actions and projects of the Association.
ASEICA-Women is centered on highlighting and fostering the work of female cancer researchers in Spain. This pioneer group works actively to reduce inequality, offering digital and face-to-face resources for the general and scientific public. One of its most successful campaigns is #CONOCELAS, through which ASEICA-Women has gave visibility to more than 300 female researchers, reaching over 26,000 students from primary school to university. Moreover, ASEICA-Women awards prizes to educational institutions and female scientists who participate in its activities or serve as role models in promoting women and science in this country.
The aim of ASEICA-Youth is to promote and enhance the professional development of researchers in cancer during the early stages of their careers. For this we organize specific courses, workshops, meeting and mentoring actions. More than 50% of our members are under 40 years old, and ASEICA-Youth is a very active area organized into a network of predoctoral, postdoctoral, and young leader researchers. Two of their many activities are: 1- ASEICA4You, a mentoring program that supports predoctoral, postdoctoral, and emerging leaders through one-on-one pairings with mentors with profiles in basic, clinical, and translational research; and 2- Meet the Expert with informal online seminars with national and internationally renowned professionals in different academic fields, industry, administration, and other areas relevant to molecular oncology.
ASEICA-Med is a meeting platform for medical professionals who combine clinical work and cancer research. One of the early initiatives of ASEICA-Med was to establish an external advisory committee (Think tank) that reviewed initiatives to promote the profile of the physician-researcher. In November 2022, we celebrate the first ASEICA-Med Retreat in which we drafted a Position document regarding the medical-investigator collective. This document was presented to the media and the civil society in September 2023.
ASEICA-Learn was established in 2022 to advance education in oncology. Its major achievement is the creation of a Specific Degree in Translational Oncology affiliated in collaboration with the Complutense University of Madrid. The degree aims to update participants on translational research topics related to the causes of cancer and to the advancements in diagnosis and treatment. At ASEICA we have granted scholarships to cover fully or partially the enrollment in this degree.
Lastly, the work area ASEICA-Communication makes visible all the activities and advocacy of ASEICA among our members, as well as communicating them to society and patients through campaigns on social platforms (X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook) and media channels (radio, press, and television). We also generate topics of interest for the media on oncology and research.
Since our ultimate goal is that all our work results in better diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients, at ASEICA we collaborate with other scientific and patient societies, as well as with public administrations, to support patients’ associations in their fight against cancer.
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About National Societies affiliated with the EACR
ASEICA is one of the 14 National Societies that have chosen to affiliate with the European Association for Cancer Research and give their members EACR membership at no extra cost to each member. Click here to find out more about these affiliated National Societies.
