UNICA – Unified Network for International Cancer Advancement
UNICA is a European research initiative building a federated, privacy-preserving infrastructure for cancer screening and early detection. The project enables hospitals across Europe to collaborate on artificial intelligence while maintaining full control over sensitive health data.
Why UNICA Matters
Cancer remains one of Europe's leading causes of death, with over 2.7 million new diagnoses in 2022. Without innovation, mortality is projected to rise by 32% by 2040. Fragmented data infrastructures limit the development of robust and equitable AI tools for screening and early detection.
UNICA addresses this challenge by building a federated infrastructure that allows hospitals to share de-identified imaging data without moving it from their local systems. This means hospitals retain control over their data while contributing to Europe-wide research, and AI models can be trained on diverse datasets across multiple countries, improving accuracy and generalisability. The project provides hospitals with tools and infrastructure for early detection, creates a trusted pan-European network of data sharing, and promotes ethical and privacy-conscious use of health data.
What UNICA Does
UNICA implements a federated approach aligned with European standards for data protection, interoperability, and trustworthy AI.
Expanding Europe's Cancer Imaging Ecosystem
UNICA enhances the European Cancer Imaging Initiative by adding large-scale breast, lung, and prostate screening data from 12 medical centres across diverse and underrepresented regions, achieving EUCAIM Tier 3 integration.
Enabling FAIR, Secure, and Interoperable Data Sharing
The project standardises and FAIRifies de-identified imaging and clinical data, fully aligned with EUCAIM, EHDS, and EEHRxF specifications—supporting secure, federated access for research and innovation.
Advancing AI for Early Detection and Patient Benefit
UNICA pilots cutting-edge AI models for cancer screening, while promoting patient data altruism. By boosting high-quality data availability and AI adoption, the project strengthens Europe's efforts to improve prevention, early diagnosis, and personalised cancer care.
UNICA in a Nutshell
Project Partners
UNICA brings together universities, hospitals, research centres, and technology providers from across Europe.
Ethics, Trust, and European Values
UNICA is aligned with GDPR, EHDS, EUCAIM, and European principles for ethical, transparent, and responsible use of health data. The project is funded by the European Union and contributes to strengthening Europe's digital health ecosystem.