This year, FIGHT KIDS CANCER (FKC) decided to focus on sarcoma research, because this type of cancer is among the least curable ones and yet, there is a structural lack of research in this area.

In the heat of Madrid in May 2026, the FIGHT KIDS CANCER Programme Committee convened for its most important meeting of the year: the selection of the paediatric cancer research projects!

The Programme Committee is composed of three types of participants:

• One representative per FKC member: Patricia Blanc for Imagine for Margo (France), Remko Veenstra for KiKa (Netherlands), Pierre Dochen for Fondatioun Kriibskrank Kanner (Luxembourg), Irene Sanchez for CRIS Cancer Foundation (Spain & UK) and Delphine Heenen for KickCancer.
   
• Eight scientific experts to advise the members: Peter Adamson, Kenneth Cohen, Julia Glade-Bender and Bissan Al-Lazikani (USA) as well as Jan-Henning Klusmann (Germany), Marie Castets and Dominique Valteau-Couanet (France), Sophie Postel-Vinay (France and UK).
   
• Two representatives of the European Science Foundation, to ensure a fair and impartial selection process.

After three days of meetings, we selected six research projects, three clinical trials and three translational projects for a total amount of 12.9 million euros. The cherry on top, we also have an excellent project on our reserve list, that we will fund if we fundraise more than anticipated: we will look for an additional 2.3 million euros.

Here are the excellent projects we selected:

• A clinical trial to test promising vaccines for young patients with Ewing Sarcoma;
• A platform clinical trial for children and young patients with a non-rhabdo soft tissue sarcoma;
• A translational project to move innovative drug combinations faster to the clinic for patients with any type of sarcoma;
• A translational project for synovial sarcoma, to give patients access to precision medicine;
• A translational project for osteosarcoma patients to study the impact of metabolism on cancer proliferation.

Finally, we also selected one clinical trial for children with brain tumours, which is the next phase of a project we selected in 2024 and that required the following steps to be funded after the successful set-up of the first phases of the project.

So: who's lacing up their trainers? Join us on 27 September 2026 at RUN TO KICK and help us fund all seven projects (yes, we're going for the reserve list too!). 

Register here: runtokick.be