Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres

What Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres does

Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMC) is a UK-wide collaborative research network of 29 specialist cancer research centres — 17 adult and 12 paediatric — jointly funded by Cancer Research UK, the Little Princess Trust, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, and the Departments of Health for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The network provides early-phase clinical trial infrastructure, translational research capabilities, and a single coordinated entry point for commercial sponsors and regulators. Its core technology platform integrates advanced therapy manufacturing (including CAR-T and other cellular therapies), GCLP-accredited biomarker assay facilities, access to the Genomic Medicine Service and the TARGET national ctDNA profiling programme (324-gene panel), digital pathology, and biobank infrastructure, delivered across NHS trust and university partnerships in all four UK nations. Between 2022 and 2025 the network ran 981 clinical trials and recruited over 9,000 patients, with cumulative investment of £150m since launch and a current five-year funding cycle running April 2023 to March 2028.

ECMC's business model is grant-funded rather than commercial: it does not sell products or services to patients or sponsors at list price, and pricing is not applicable. Revenue is delivered through five-year funding cycles from a defined set of UK government health research bodies and major cancer charities, supplemented by bespoke industry-partnered trial activity coordinated through a central Programme Office based at Cancer Research UK's London headquarters. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales — the Programme Office develops bespoke partnerships with trial sponsors and routes them to the appropriate centre, supported by regulatory partnerships with the MHRA, NICE and Health Research Authority, the EC Trial Finder public-facing tool, and a set of network groups (Haematology, Junior Investigators, Research Nurses, Translational Research, Trial Operational Delivery, Teenage and Young Adults, Therapeutic Cancer Prevention). The network's primary customer segments are pharmaceutical and biotechnology sponsors seeking UK trial access, cancer patients seeking experimental treatment, and UK regulators; the entity is legally a programme managed by Cancer Research UK (registered charity 1089464) rather than an independent company, and the firmographics record's "for profit" classification is inconsistent with this charitable structure.

Name

Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres

Legal name

Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMC)

Website

https://ecmcnetwork.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ECMC is a UK-wide network of 29 specialist cancer research centres (17 adult, 12 paediatric) that delivers early-phase clinical trials, translational research and genomic testing for pharmaceutical and biotech sponsors, regulators and cancer patients, funded by Cancer Research UK, the Little Princess Trust and UK government health bodies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Trial Site Operations & Study Coordination (HLAGACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Clinical Site Start-Up & Activation (Regulatory/Ethics/Contracts) (HLAGACAC), Site & Investigator Platforms (Site Payments, Feasibility, Activation) (HLACAOAJ), Regulatory Submissions & Clinical Content Management (eCTD/Publishing) (HLACAOAN)

Keywords

• Early-phase cancer trials
• Clinical research network
• Translational oncology research
• Paediatric cancer trials
• Experimental cancer medicine

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices24 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant funding (core): The ECMC network is jointly funded by Cancer Research UK, the Little Princess Trust, the National Institute for Health and Care Research in England and the Departments of Health for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Funding is awarded on a five-year basis with the current cycle running from April 2023 to March 2028.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ECMC operates a UK-wide collaborative network of 29 specialist early-phase cancer research centres (17 adult, 12 paediatric) that delivers trial infrastructure, translational science, pharmacology, genomics, and advanced therapy manufacturing for first-in-human and first-in-class oncology studies. The Programme Office acts as a single entry point for commercial sponsors and industry partners, providing feasibility assessment, bespoke partnership development, and streamlined site identification across the integrated adult and paediatric network.

Product overview

Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMC) is a UK-wide network of 29 specialist cancer research centres (17 adult and 12 paediatric) providing early-phase clinical trial infrastructure, expertise, and streamlined access for accelerating cancer research and drug development. The core product is the ECMC Network itself, which enables research innovation and brings first-in-human studies to patients. Key offerings include the EC Trial Finder tool for locating clinical trials, Working with UK Regulators resources for navigating regulatory pathways (including ILAP and Complex Innovative Design trials), the Pharmacy Assurance Pilot for streamlining trial setup, Training the Next Generation program for junior investigators, the Patient Involvement Forum for incorporating patient perspectives, and various specialized network groups (Haematology, JING, Research Nurses, Translational Research, TYA, Therapeutic Cancer Prevention) that foster collaboration across the network. The network is jointly funded by Cancer Research UK, the Little Princess Trust, NIHR, and health departments for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ECMC Network A UK-wide network of 29 specialist cancer research centres (17 adult, 12 paediatric) that delivers early-phase clinical trial infrastructure, expertise, and streamlined access to integrated sites for accelerating cancer research and trial delivery, accessed by commercial sponsors via the ECMC Programme Office.
• EC Trial Finder A self-serve clinical trial finder tool allowing patients and researchers to search for open early-phase clinical trials across the ECMC network by cancer type, drug name, or trial name.
• Pharmacy Assurance Pilot A targeted pilot developed with the Health Research Authority to streamline and strengthen pharmacy technical assurance in early-phase oncology trials, reducing duplication and variation in pharmacy reviews across NHS sites.
• Training the Next Generation (TNG) Annual Event An annual two-day training event held since 2013 for junior clinicians and postdoctoral scientists interested in cancer translational research, offering lectures, interactive sessions, and advice from senior investigators.
• Complex Innovative Design (CID) Trials Podcast Series A podcast series developed jointly with the Health Research Authority to support effective planning and design of Complex Innovative Design (CID) trials, covering topics such as definitions, Data Monitoring Committees, patient information, ethics, and statistical challenges.
• TYA Clinical Research Roadmap A roadmap co-developed with researchers and teenagers and young adults with lived cancer experience to improve access to clinical trials and biobanking for people aged 16-24.
• ECMC Cross-Centre Placement Scheme A scheme providing travel, accommodation and sustenance costs for individuals supported by the ECMC network to train or shadow at other ECMC sites or for initial collaboration meetings.
• Working with UK Regulators Resources Resources supporting delivery of Complex Innovative Design cancer trials in the UK, including guidance on regulatory support from MHRA and NICE and information on the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP).

Quantifiable outcome

• 981 clinical trials delivered in portfolio (2022-2025)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BioNTechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBioNTech has partnered with the ECMC network for early phase studies. The network supported efficient site identification and activation for multiple BioNTech early phase studies. The partnership approach and proactive problem solving delivered benefits to enrolment on individual studies as well as system-wide implementation of national enablers to accelerate study start-up and delivery in the UK.
• Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ECMC network maintains strong regulatory partnerships with MHRA, including participation in the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP). The network works with MHRA to address challenges in setting up and conducting research within the NHS.
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ECMC network partners with NICE for regulatory support including scientific advice and Health Technology Appraisal. Joint scientific advice is available through the Integrated Scientific Advice service delivered by MHRA and NICE, providing coordinated regulatory and HTA guidance.
• Health Research Authority (HRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ECMC network has worked with the Health Research Authority to address challenges in setting up clinical trials in the NHS, including the pharmacy assurance pilot and development of CID trial podcasts. The HRA provides regulatory support and approval services.
• Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer (ITCC) European ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFive ECMC paediatric centres are designated as first-in-child centres by ITCC. The network participates in ITCC educational training activities and collaborates on paediatric drug development.
• UK Clinical Research Facility NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Training the Next Generation event welcomed three researchers from the UK Clinical Research Facility Network, opening the programme to early career colleagues working in early phase cancer research beyond the ECMC Network.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Cancer Research UK: UK cancer charity and the managing parent/funder of ECMC's Programme Office. Relevant as the primary financial and governance sponsor rather than as a direct competitor.
• European Medicines Agency (EMA) / EU Clinical Trials Information System: European regulator and CTIS host for clinical trial authorisation across the EU. Adjacent regulatory counterpart to ECMC's MHRA/NICE relationships in the UK.

Broad incumbents

• Children's Oncology Group (COG): Largest paediatric cancer clinical trials organisation in the world, sponsored by the US NCI. Comparable paediatric oncology trial infrastructure at much larger scale and US-centric.
• NIHR Clinical Research Network: UK-wide NIHR-funded infrastructure supporting clinical research delivery across all therapy areas in NHS settings. Comparable as a UK publicly funded clinical research delivery network, but much broader in scope beyond oncology and early-phase trials.
• National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program: US federal programme sponsoring a large portfolio of cancer clinical trials through cooperative groups and academic centres. Comparable as a publicly funded cancer trial infrastructure backbone, but operating at US national scale and across all trial phases.

Regional players

• Nordic Society for Paediatric Haematology and Oncology (NOPHO): Nordic collaborative running paediatric oncology trials across Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland. Comparable as a regional paediatric early-phase network in a different geography.

Direct peers

• EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer): European non-profit network conducting multidisciplinary clinical trials in cancer across multiple member institutions. Closely comparable as a publicly funded, multi-centre oncology trial infrastructure network, though with a pan-European rather than UK footprint.
• Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer (ITCC): European consortium of paediatric oncology centres running early-phase trials in children and adolescents. Directly comparable paediatric oncology trial infrastructure; ECMC already collaborates with ITCC and has five first-in-child designated centres within it.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ecmc_uk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/experimental-cancer-medicine-centres-network-ecmc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres