Northeast Cancer Research & Education Trust

What Northeast Cancer Research & Education Trust does

Northeast Cancer Research & Education Trust (NECRET) is a registered Irish charity (nonprofit) founded around 2011–2012 following cancer diagnoses in the founder's family, headquartered in Drogheda, Co. Louth, Ireland. The organisation operates a single integrated program focused on four interconnected service areas: (1) funding clinical cancer research across lung, ovarian, breast, and bowel cancers; (2) providing state-of-the-art medical equipment — including a latest-generation gene sequencing machine — to the Oncology & Haematology Unit at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital; (3) supporting nursing and medical staff training on emerging cancer treatments; and (4) running patient information, awareness, and support programs including clinical trial access via ICORG, annual Living with Cancer conferences, TLC Cancer Support Days, and the Blankets of Care Appeal.

NECRET's core technology stack is its cancer research infrastructure: a gene sequencing machine, clinical research laboratory facilities, and equipment including portable computers, centrifuges, heat blankets, and telecommunications equipment deployed at the hospital. The charity is structurally embedded within the RCSI Hospital Group, with research collaborations extending to RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland), MD Anderson Cancer Center, and ICORG, supporting joint research such as the genomic characterisation of rectal cancer response to treatment. NECRET's research outputs have contributed to 15 internationally recognised cancer research journals and yielded a 2024 ASCO Young Investigator Award for Dr. David O'Reilly's breath-based lung cancer detection work.

The charity's revenue model is multi-stream donation fundraising with no commercial revenue. Streams include individual donations (via iDonate, JustGiving, direct bank transfer, in-person events), corporate partnerships (Charity of the Year nominations, sponsorship, payroll giving, matched giving with partners including AIB, Tesco, Aura Leisure, City North Hotel, and DPRC), legacy gifts via wills, wedding favours donations, and memorial donations. Pricing is voluntary; tax-efficient giving is available via CHY3 forms for donations of €250 or more. Customer/donor segments span individual community donors, corporate partners, families/caregivers, schools/colleges, and cancer patients as ultimate beneficiaries. The organisation relies heavily on volunteers, including a volunteer web developer and volunteer coordinator, and is governed by an unpaid board chaired by Professor Bryan Hennessy, an international leader in cancer research with MD Anderson affiliation. Marketing channels combine grassroots community events, Facebook, YouTube, quarterly email newsletters, and PR leveraging GAA ambassador Sean Boylan.

Name

Northeast Cancer Research & Education Trust

Legal name

North East Cancer Research & Education Trust

Website

https://necret.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NECRET is an Irish registered charity funding clinical cancer research, state-of-the-art equipment, staff training, and patient support programs for the Oncology & Haematology Unit at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, serving cancer patients across North East Ireland through volunteer-driven fundraising, corporate partnerships, and legacy gifts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cancer Research Charity Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN)

Keywords

• Cancer research funding
• Oncology patient support
• Medical equipment provision
• Community fundraising events
• Cancer awareness education

Headquarters

HQ city

Drogheda

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals through various channels including iDonate platform, direct bank transfers, and cash/cheque donations
2. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate sponsorship, Charity of the Year nominations, employee payroll giving, corporate donations, and matched giving programs
3. Legacy Gifts: Bequests and legacies left in wills including residuary gifts, pecuniary gifts, and specific gifts
4. Wedding Favours Program: Wedding favours donations where couples choose NECRET as beneficiary for their wedding donations
5. Memorial Donations: Donations made in memory of deceased loved ones, often in lieu of funeral flowers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NECRET is a registered Irish charity that funds clinical cancer research, provides state-of-the-art medical equipment (including gene sequencing machines), supports medical staff training, and delivers cancer patient information and support programs for the Oncology & Haematology Unit at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. The charity raises funds through community-led events (Dip in the Nip, Kilmoon Barn Dance, Tullyallen Tractor Run, Boyne Valley Camino), corporate partnerships, individual donations, and legacy gifts to advance cancer treatment outcomes in Ireland's North East region.

Product overview

NECRET (North East Cancer Research & Education Trust) is a charitable organization operating as a single integrated program rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The charity's offerings center on four interconnected service areas: (1) Cancer Research Funding — supporting clinical research projects across lung, ovarian, breast, and bowel cancers with equipment and researcher salaries; (2) Medical Equipment Provision — funding state-of-the-art equipment for the Oncology & Haematology Unit at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital; (3) Medical Staff Training — enabling nursing and medical staff to receive education on emerging treatments; and (4) Patient Support Programs — including information days, cancer awareness education, clinical trial support, and fundraising events such as Dip in the Nip and Tullyallen Tractor Run. These services are unified by their common mission to improve cancer treatment outcomes in the North East of Ireland region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cancer Research Funding Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 15 internationally recognized cancer research publications contributed to
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNECRET board visited RCSI Oncology Lab on Beaumont campus where research is conducted. Research collaboration with RCSI on bowel and lung cancer research. Joint Schools Medical Open Day program.
• MD Anderson Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld-renowned cancer center collaborating with NECRET and RCSI on research including genomic characterisation of rectal cancer response to treatment.
• Our Lady of Lourdes HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain beneficiary of NECRET funding. Houses the Oncology & Haematology Unit where all patient care and much of the research takes place. Sister hospital to Beaumont within RCSI Hospital Group.
• Beaumont HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister hospital to Our Lady of Lourdes within RCSI Hospital Group, working together in delivering patient care.
• ICORG (Irish Clinical Oncology Research Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe vehicle through which new drugs and clinical trials are brought into Ireland, enabling NECRET-supported research to access cutting edge treatments.
• Aura LeisureminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor providing support for NECRET's ongoing research, education and awareness efforts.
• City North HotelminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting NECRET events including the annual Living with Cancer conference venue.
• AIB (Allied Irish Bank)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting NECRET's ongoing research, education and awareness efforts.
• TescominorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting NECRET's ongoing research, education and awareness efforts.
• DPRC (Drogheda Youth & Community Development)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting NECRET's ongoing research, education and awareness efforts.
• Queens University BelfastminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating partner in All-Island Schools Virtual Open Day initiative along with NECRET and RCSI.
• Louth Volunteer CentreminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVolunteer coordination support for NECRET's community events and fundraising activities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Movember Foundation: Global men's health charity funding cancer (notably prostate and testicular) research alongside mental health programmes. Comparable disease-specific research funding model with event-driven community fundraising, though at international scale.

Broad incumbents

• Cancer Research UK: The largest cancer research charity in the UK, funding research across multiple cancer types with broad public fundraising. Comparable disease-specific research funding model, though operating at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.
• Conquer Cancer (ASCO Foundation): The charitable arm of ASCO, funding global oncology research including the Young Investigator Award programme that recognised NECRET-supported research. Comparable in funding oncology researchers and clinical innovation at international scale.
• Irish Cancer Society: The national voluntary health organization for cancer in Ireland, funding research, providing patient support, and running awareness campaigns. Most directly comparable mission to NECRET but at a national scale and with a much larger fundraising and marketing operation.

Regional players

• Beaumont Hospital Foundation: Hospital-affiliated foundation for Beaumont Hospital, NECRET's sister hospital within the RCSI Hospital Group. Comparable hospital-embedded fundraising model and donor base, serving an overlapping but Dublin-centric catchment.
• St. James's Hospital Foundation: Irish hospital-affiliated foundation funding research, equipment, and patient comfort. Comparable model of directing donations to specific clinical units within a hospital, with similar volunteer and event fundraising structures.
• Trinity St James's Cancer Institute: Dublin-based cancer research and treatment institute combining clinical care with research. Comparable in embedding research funding within a clinical oncology service, though anchored in a larger academic hospital setting.

Direct peers

• Breakthrough Cancer Research: Ireland-based cancer research charity funding translational research and clinical trials. Directly comparable on the research-funding mission and Irish geographic focus, with similar reliance on public donations and fundraising events.
• Marie Keating Foundation: Irish cancer charity focused on awareness, early detection, and patient support services. Closely comparable model: community fundraising, hospital partnerships, and cancer education programs targeting the Irish public.

Others

• National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP): Ireland's HSE programme coordinating cancer services nationally. Not a fundraising peer, but a key system actor whose priorities shape where hospital-affiliated research charities like NECRET deploy funds.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=LcRr23-AgS4
• Facebookfacebook.com/NECRET
• Xx.com/Drogheda_Oncol

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Northeast Cancer Research & Education Trust