The Czech Annual Cancer Research Meeting is a unique platform where leading experts in cancer research from the entire Czech Republic as well as other countries meet each year under the auspices of the NICR. This year, the third such meeting takes place. Its main aim is to create an interdisciplinary space for exchange of experience and knowledge among scientists who focus on key areas of prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of cancers. Thanks to its wide scope and high professional quality, this conference contributes to progress in cancer research as well as improvement of clinical practice.
The Czech Annual Cancer Research (CACR) Meeting was created in 2022, when several expert meetings with a long history going back to 2005 have merged for the first time. At that time, they were called Diagnostic, Predictive and Experimental Oncology Days, and their programme focused mainly on molecular oncology and pathology. Since its creation, the CACR Meeting became an important platform where the most recent findings of top-quality research are presented.
Growing numbers of presentations and participants
The conference takes place mainly in English in order to accommodate the growing numbers of international participants and presenters. This trend has been apparent since the first CACR Metting in 2022. In that year, 82 presentations were accepted, whereby one-half was presented orally and the second half as posters. During this first year, the meeting was attended by experts not only from the Czech Republic but also Hungary, Slovakia, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and Ukraine. In total, there were 179 participants, which was a sound basis for further development of this event.
In 2023, the event attracted with significantly more presentations and more participants. The programme included 109 presentations, and the number of participants rose to 359. Participants came from various parts of the world, including the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Egypt, and Austria. Such notable increase of interest in this conference reflects its increasing prestige and contribution to science in the Czech Republic and within the international context.
Expansion of the programme by an educational workshop
In 2024, we expect further growth and an even richer programme. We anticipate about 60 lectures by specialists with 10 invited lectures, meaning lectures by well-known experts dedicated to particular subjects. The programme will also include 65 poster presentations, which will offer an overview of a wide variety of current research results. A novelty this year is the NICR Edu Workshop, which will take place before the conference proper as its satellite event. This educational workshop will cover three key areas closely connected to current work in science:
- Scientists’ communication with media is the focus of the first part of the workshop. Participants will learn from Jan Kubáček, an expert couch in communication, how and why media function, how to effectively present research results to the general public, and what are the advantages and risks of taking this step. In the practical part of this workshop, participants will be able to try out interviews with journalists, including simulated interviews on camera.
- Gender diversity in cancer research is the second subject of the workshop. A lecture by Iveta Bayerová from the Charles University will point out that more equitable gender representation brings a wider range of views and supports creativity and innovation in research. This subject attracts ever more attention because it turns out that gender balance has a positive impact on the quality and scope of scientific research.
- The concept of open science, whose popularity is increasing, is the subject of the final part of the workshop. A lecture by Marián Hajdúch, Medical Director of NICR, will deal with the opportunities and risks connected with open access to scientific data, publications, and findings. This approach has the potential of accelerating scientific progress, but it also brings questions regarding the protection of intellectual property and the ethical aspects of sharing sensitive information. The workshop will conclude with a joint discussion where participants will be able to exchange their views and experiences.
A space for formal and informal meetings
Aside from the scientific programme, the CACR Meeting provides spaces for formal meetings of the individual organs and workgroups active within the NICR. Such meetings are essential for a coordination of research activities and projects of the participating institutions. At the conference, there also takes place a meeting for the Board of the NICR and a regular meeting of the International Science and Advisory Board Meeting (ISAB), which serves as a platform for expert consultations and recommendations in the area of cancer research. The CACR Meeting traditionally takes place in the second half of November in Olomouc. Each year, this event gains in prestige, attracting increasing numbers of both active and passive participants from different continents. The international nature of the conference underscores its importance as a key platform for sharing the most recent scientific findings in oncology.
This event also enjoys a strong support by commercial partners, who importantly contribute to its realisation. Their support enables a high standard of conference organisation and creates space for its further growth and development. CACR Meeting thus contributes to a long-term development of cancer research, which has a positive impact on the society as a whole.
