EU4Health project · 2025–2028
YARN – European Youth Cancer Network
YARN is an EU co-funded health project that brings together 19 organisations across 28 European countries to improve the lives of children, adolescents and young adults affected by cancer. BeatCancer.eu is its official platform.
Project at a glance
- Funding programme
- EU4Health Programme (2021–2027) of the European Union
- Grant agreement
- 101219053, call EU4H-2024-PJ-02-4
- Duration
- 1 July 2025 – 30 June 2028 (36 months)
- Budget
- €6,242,806 in total, of which €4,994,245 (80%) is the EU contribution
- Coordinator
- Youth Cancer Europe, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Consortium
- 19 beneficiaries, 1 affiliated entity and 39 associated partners
- Countries
- 25 EU Member States and 3 eligible neighbouring countries
- Youth Cancer Council
- 100 young people with lived cancer experience
- Structure
- 8 interconnected work packages
What is YARN?
YARN, short for the European Youth Cancer Network, is a three-year project co-funded by the European Union under the EU4Health Programme. It continues and expands the work of two earlier EU projects, EU-CAYAS-NET (2022–2025) and Outdoor Against Cancer Connects Us (OACCUs), into a lasting, multi-actor network of young people affected by cancer, patient organisations, hospitals, universities and health authorities.
The project focuses on peer support, mental health, education and career reintegration, long-term follow-up care, and equity, diversity and inclusion in cancer care. Everything is designed with the people it serves: a Youth Cancer Council of 100 young people with lived cancer experience shapes decisions and outcomes across all eight work packages.
What the project will deliver by 2028
- A Youth Cancer Council that puts young people with lived experience in leadership roles across the project
- A European study of how social connections affect the emotional well-being of young people with cancer
- Evidence-based standards for psychosocial and mental health care, implemented in partner hospitals
- Equity, diversity and inclusion standards adopted by 10 healthcare institutions and 10 patient organisations
- A Transition of Care guideline implemented and evaluated in two best-practice centres
- Multilingual, plain-language resources on treatment side effects, relapse and metastatic cancer for adolescents and young adults
- 100 trained youth cancer advocates through the ACE Academy, and policy events across Europe including at the European Parliament
- Communication campaigns reaching 50 million people, and this platform as the network's lasting digital home
Built on EU-CAYAS-NET
Between September 2022 and June 2025 the EU-CAYAS-NET project, coordinated by Childhood Cancer International – Europe, built the first European Network of Youth Cancer Survivors and launched beatcancer.eu as its knowledge centre. YARN takes over that network and platform, keeps every EU-CAYAS-NET deliverable online, and widens the scope from survivors to everyone affected by cancer at a young age, including people living with relapse or metastatic disease.
What you can do here
Apply to the Youth Cancer Council
Young people with lived cancer experience shape the project from the inside.
Read the guidelines and reports
Every YARN and EU-CAYAS-NET publication, in full text and as PDF.
Join the community
Peer support and a network of young people across Europe who understand.
Use the free tools
Calculators and self-assessments built with clinicians, no sign-up needed.
Contact the project team
Partnership, press and research enquiries go to the coordinator team.
Frequently asked questions
What does YARN stand for?
YARN is the short name of the European Youth Cancer Network. The name refers to weaving together the threads of earlier EU projects and of organisations across Europe into one network.
Is YARN an EU project?
Yes. YARN is co-funded by the European Union under the EU4Health Programme (grant agreement 101219053) and is listed by the European Commission among the projects financed under Europe's Beating Cancer Plan. The EU covers 80% of the €6.24 million budget.
Who runs the YARN health project?
Youth Cancer Europe, based in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, coordinates a consortium of 19 beneficiary organisations: patient organisations, hospitals, universities and health authorities in 12 countries, supported by 39 associated partners.
How is YARN related to EU-CAYAS-NET and beatcancer.eu?
EU-CAYAS-NET (2022–2025) created the European Network of Youth Cancer Survivors and this website. YARN (2025–2028) is its successor project, and beatcancer.eu is YARN's official platform.
How can I get involved?
Young people with lived cancer experience can apply to the Youth Cancer Council. Organisations can become associated partners by contacting the coordinator. Anyone can join the community, use the free tools and share the resources.
Official sources
The project facts on this page come from the European Commission's records. Verify them at the source:
- European Commission – YARN project page (EU4Health-financed projects under Europe's Beating Cancer Plan)
- HaDEA – EU4Health projects advancing the fight against childhood cancer
- EU Funding and Tenders Portal – call EU4H-2024-PJ-02-4
- Youth Cancer Europe – project coordinator
- European Commission – EU-CAYAS-NET project page