In 2015, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch), a world-renowned research center with a mission to eliminate cancer and related diseases as causes of human suffering and death, opened the UCI-Fred Hutch Cancer Centre in Kampala, Uganda. The Centre, which expanded on Fred Hutch’s decade-long partnership with the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI), is a collaborative facility where researchers and health care experts from Fred Hutch and UCI work together to deliver care, conduct research, and support training for oncology researchers and clinicians.
In 2016, the Fred Hutch Global Oncology team engaged FSG to advance planning for the future growth and sustainability of the Fred Hutch Global Oncology program, the Centre, and its operations in Uganda.
FSG’s work on this project included:
- Supporting the development of a collaborative research agenda. FSG assessed the current research portfolio of the Fred Hutch Global Oncology program, interviewed researchers in Seattle and Uganda to better understand their priorities for future research, and conducted a benchmarking exercise to identify best practices in developing collaborative research that balance the priorities of U.S.-based research institutions and their local partners. FSG then convened the researchers to review the existing portfolio and to propose a new agenda that reflects the scientific priorities of Fred Hutch’s research team and aligns with the greatest disease burden and clinical care priorities for patients in Uganda.
- Developing a strategy and supporting implementation plans for the partnership’s operations. Through interviews with doctors, nurses, and staff in the U.S. and Uganda, FSG developed recommendations for the operating model and governance of the collaboration between Fred Hutch and UCI.
- Creating an economic model for sustainability. FSG created a financial model for the Centre’s operations and provided guidance on how to balance different funding opportunities.
- Conducting a landscape assessment of potential funders and partners. In support of the economic model, and informed by its research agenda, FSG identified and mapped research and grant opportunities for the Centre as well as partnership opportunities with foundations, companies, and other organizations focused on cancer research.
Today, Fred Hutch and UCI have renewed and strengthened their collaboration and are growing their research portfolios. Together, they are advancing new research in cervical cancer, breast cancer, Kaposi Sarcoma, and Burkitt Lymphoma, with a focus that ranges from upstream research on cancer biology to exploring improved diagnostics and new therapies to treat cancers that represent significant burdens in Uganda. Additionally, a strategic advisory body called the UCI-Fred Hutch Council was formed, made up of key stakeholders in the U.S. and Uganda.
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About Fred Hutch
Fred Hutch’s interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists and staff work together to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS, and other diseases. Their researchers, including three Nobel laureates, bring a relentless pursuit of, and passion for, health knowledge and hope to their work and the world.
