Cancer Research South School - CARES

A new updated CARES was launched during 2022 with new content and courses. Among our CARES Alumni you will find both clinical and pre-clinical cancer researchers.

Cancer Research South (CARES) School is a graduate research school for clinical and pre-clinical PhD students in cancer research. The research school is a collaboration between Lund University (LU) and University of Gothenburg (UGOT) under the umbrella of Lund University Cancer Centre (LUCC) and Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research (SCCR). CARES is funded by the Swedish Cancer Society and hosted by LUCC.

Image with the left side, representing pre-clinical work, a microscope, and on the right side, representing clinical work, doctors in a operation hall.

Cancer Research South (CARES) school was initiated 2014 with support from the Swedish Cancer Society. The research school was relaunched in a new format starting January 2022. First application round closed 15 September 2021 and second round closed 14 April 2023. The first 18 month period of CARES will run from January 2022 until the end of June 2023 and the second period will be from July/August 2023 until the end of December 2024. The new CARES format comprises a range of activities, including both on-line courses, retreats and exchange program, with the overarching goal to provide you as a PhD student a unique possibility to broaden your knowledge in all aspects of comprehensive translational cancer research. In the first round of this new version of the programme we had 29 students joining and they will now be our CARES Alumni. We are aiming for approximately 30 students per 18 months cycle, with an equal distribution of clinical and preclinical fellows.

Aims

The primary goal of the CARES School is to provide a combination of comprehensive courses at the same time as the students get a deepened insight into the spectrum of activities within modern cancer research. This will empower the students to reflect on the most important concepts in cancer research today and incorporate this knowledge into their own research.

Content

Within the 18 months program the research school comprise:

2 one-day retreats and 2 two-day retreat, thematically organized
4 online courses focusing on contemporary methods, including medical bioinformatics, liquid biopsy, epigenetics in cancer research and translational cancer research (course package via this link)
One online course in clinical trials in cancer
An exchange program between clinical and preclinical fellows.

These are the dates for the next round

Courses in the program
Clinical Trials in Cancer Research - Sep 2026 – May 2027
Translational Cancer Research - Oct 2026
Medical Bioinformatics - Mar 2027
Epigenetics in Cancer Research - May 2027
Liquid Biopsy - Oct 2027

Retreat dates
24-25 Sep 2026 - Retreat I – Kick-off
21 Jan 2027 - Retreat II
20-21 May 2027 - Retreat III – Alumni Network
11 Nov 2027 - Retreat IV – Conclusion

Admission - new application round has started, Autumn 2026

Application
Applications will be reviewed by an admissions committee, and students are selected on the basis of their academic record and personal motivation statement. A letter of support from the supervisor, a short CV (including a list of publications, if any) are required. Applicants should have at least two years left of their PhD studies.

Deadline
The deadline for applying to the next admission round is April 15, 2026. Find the application form on the right hand side. You will be notified within two weeks, after deadline, whether you have been accepted or not. If required, a second admission round will be opened.