The Rising Tide Foundation for Clinical Cancer Research (RTFCCR) is a non-profit, charitable organisation founded in 2010 in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. With a global reach, RTFCCR is dedicated to supporting clinical cancer research for all cancer types, ensuring that innovative treatment solutions prioritise patient quality of life and long-term well-being.

A Mission to Transform Cancer Care

Guided by a mission to enhance quality of life and a vision to empower individuals to live on their own terms, RTFCCR integrates the patient voice at every stage of its operations. Patients actively peer-review funding applications and shape strategic discussions, ensuring that research efforts align with real-world needs and experiences.

RTFCCR Focus Areas

RTFCCR has identified five key Focus Areas, which form the foundation for its grant-making priorities. The organization prioritizes clinical trials that are:

• Innovative and unique – Pushing the boundaries of traditional cancer treatment.
• Patient-centred – Addressing the specific needs and concerns of patients.
• Less toxic – Aiming to reduce the harsh effects of existing cancer therapies.
• Effective in disease burden management – Improving the overall experience of cancer patients.
• Focused on early detection and intervention – Enhancing survival rates and outcomes.

Supporting Groundbreaking Clinical Research

To advance these priorities, RTFCCR funds clinical trials introducing less toxic therapies, improving disease management, and creating new early detection and intervention strategies. Each research project applying for funding must include a Patient Partner Involvement in Research Plan, ensuring that patient voices shape every stage of development.

A rigorous peer-review process evaluates applications based on scientific soundness and patient relevance. Each submission is assessed by two key opinion leaders in the field: a biostatistician and a patient partner with lived experience of the specific cancer type. The highest-scoring applications are then reviewed for strategic alignment before the Board of Directors makes the final funding decision.

Pre-Application Grants: Fostering Early Patient Engagement

To further strengthen patient involvement from the beginning of research studies, RTFCCR introduced the Pre-Application Grant program. These grants of up to EUR 4,000 support costs and reimbursements for patient partners designing clinical trial protocols and preparing funding applications. By enabling early-stage patient participation, RTFCCR ensures that research is tailored to the needs and perspectives of those it aims to serve.

Visit the Rising Tide Foundation for Clinical Cancer Research website for more details on RTFCCR’s work and funding opportunities.

Author:

Zoraide Granchi​​​​