Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance has awarded more than £325,000 to eight projects through its 2026/27 Cancer Research and Innovation Awards, enabling local teams to develop and test ideas with the potential to improve cancer services and patient outcomes.
Now in its third year, the Cancer Alliance-funded programme provides grants to help NHS, academic and voluntary-sector partners turn promising ideas into practical research and service improvements. This year’s successful projects span children and young people’s supportive care, new diagnostic tests, digital patient monitoring, ambulatory treatment, bowel investigations in rural and coastal communities, and action to reduce inequalities in lung cancer screening.
The funding gives teams dedicated support to test approaches that may otherwise be difficult to progress within existing resources, while generating evidence that can inform future decisions about wider adoption and investment.
Lucy Turner, Managing Director of Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance, said: “The Cancer Alliance is proud to invest more than £325,000 in eight projects led by people who understand the challenges facing patients and cancer services locally.
“Our funding gives teams the opportunity to turn strong ideas into evidence, whether that means making diagnosis less invasive, bringing care closer to home, improving treatment capacity or tackling inequalities in access. We look forward to working with the successful teams and sharing what their projects achieve for patients across Humber and North Yorkshire.”
Professor James Turvill, Consultant Gastroenterologist at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and part of the team behind the award-winning colon capsule endoscopy trial, said: “People living in rural and coastal communities can face additional barriers when they need hospital-based investigations.
“This Cancer Alliance funding gives us the opportunity to evaluate whether colon capsule endoscopy can offer a more accessible option for appropriate patients, while helping specialist colonoscopy capacity to be used where it is needed most. We are delighted to receive the award and look forward to working with patients and partners to assess the approach carefully.”
The Cancer Alliance received applications from organisations across the local health and care system. Applications were reviewed through a competitive selection process, with successful projects chosen for their quality and potential contribution to Cancer Alliance objectives.
The eight funded projects are:
Peachy Proof of Principle – Candlelighters Supportive Care Research Centre
Researchers will explore whether red and near-infrared light could help heal damaged tissue in children and young people undergoing cancer treatment or stem cell transplantation.
SACT ePROMs – Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Electronic patient-reported outcome measures will be introduced and tested for people receiving systemic anti-cancer therapy, aiming to improve monitoring and create capacity for more treatment reviews.
WID-easy Test for Endometrial Cancer Triage – Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
The project will pilot a non-invasive test for peri- and post-menopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding, with the aim of improving diagnostic performance, reducing invasive investigations and improving patient experience and service efficiency.
Clearmark Beyond Plastics – Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
A randomised controlled trial will extend the use of dermoscopy to guide removal of non-melanoma skin cancers in dermatology and community settings, aiming to improve surgical-margin accuracy and avoid repeat excisions.
Non-invasive Diagnostic Assay for NRF2-overactive Cancers – University of York
Researchers will investigate whether breath or urine tests could help identify NRF2-overactive cancers, including bladder, lung and head and neck cancers, to support more personalised treatment.
Integrated Ambulatory Haematology-Oncology Care – York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The team will evaluate an integrated ambulatory care model for people receiving complex anti-cancer treatment, aiming to improve experience, protect treatment capacity, avoid unnecessary admissions and support earlier discharge.
Colon Capsule Endoscopy for Rural and Coastal Communities – York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The project will assess whether colon capsule endoscopy can make bowel investigations more accessible for people in rural and coastal communities and release colonoscopy capacity for those needing further investigation or treatment.
Improving Uptake of Lung Cancer Screening for People with Serious Mental Illness – York St John University
The project will focus on improving access to and uptake of lung cancer screening among people with serious mental illness, who can experience inequalities in cancer diagnosis and outcomes.
To find out how previous winners of the Cancer Alliance Research and Innovation Award initiative are using their funding, please visit page 19 of the 2025/26 Cancer Alliance annual report. You can also view videos of winning projects on the Cancer Alliance YouTube channel.