IMprove Psychosocial cAre and soCial supporT for children and adolescents with cancer and their families to improve quality of life for all - IMPACT-EU

While advances in treatment have significantly increased survival rates, access to high-quality psychosocial support varies considerably across Europe. IMPACT-EU addresses these inequalities by comprehensively mapping the current psychosocial care situation across Europe, developing European standards of care, providing training for healthcare professionals and peer supporters, and implementing evidence-based psychosocial interventions in paediatric oncology settings.

The project directly supports the mission of the Princess Máxima Center to cure every child with cancer, with optimal quality of life. By strengthening psychological support during medical treatment, IMPACT-EU seeks to improve the wellbeing of children and families and reduce the long-term impact of cancer on daily life. The project recognizes that excellent cancer care extends beyond medical treatment and includes support for mental health, social participation and family functioning.

Running from October 2025 to September 2028, the project brings together 17 partner organisations from 14 European countries and is co-funded by the European Union through the EU4Health Programme.

Involvement of Princess Máxima Center

The Princess Máxima Center provides the scientific leadership of the project through Prof. Dr. Martha Grootenhuis, Group Leader of the Grootenhuis group at the Princess Máxima Center and Scientific Lead of IMPACT-EU. Within the project, Dr. Marita Partanen – group leader of the Partanen group at the Princess Máxima Center - leads the work package dedicated to mapping psychosocial care across Europe. Lina Münker is a postdoctoral researcher at the Princess Máxima Center and project coordinator within this work package and is responsible for conducting a comprehensive multisite survey to map the current provision of psychosocial care in paediatric oncology settings throughout Europe.

Together with partners across Europe, the Princess Máxima Center contributes expertise in psychosocial oncology, implementation science and patient-centred care to develop, test and implement innovative approaches that can be sustainably integrated into routine care. A key strength of IMPACT-EU is its collaboration with Childhood Cancer International Europe (CCI Europe), which represents the voices of children and adolescents with cancer, parents, and survivors. Their experiences and perspectives help shape guidelines, training programmes and practical tools, ensuring that the solutions developed truly meet the needs of patients and families.

Partner box 

Coordinated by SIOP Europe (SIOPE), Childhood Cancer International Europe (CCI Europe) and Prinses Máxima Centrum, IMPACT-EU brings together hospitals, universities, patient organisations, scientific societies and European networks in a unique multidisciplinary collaboration.

• SIOP Europe (the European Society for Paediatric Oncology), Paneuropean

• Princess Maxima Centre for Paediatric Oncology (PMC), Utrecht/Netherland

• CCI Europe, Paneuropean

• Medical University of Vienna (MedUni Vienna, MUV)

• KU Leuven, Belgium

• The National Children Cancer Service (NCCS), Children’s Health Ireland, Ireland

• Sylva, Finland

• "M. S. Curie" Children's Emergency Clinical Hospital, Romania

• Comenius University in Bratislava (Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave – UK BA), Slovakia]

• Hospital Sant Joan de Déu (HSJD), Spain

• Public Medical-Sanitary Institution Institute of Oncology, Republic of Moldova (IMSPIO), Moldova

• University Hospital Bonn (UKB), Germany

• Soleterre Foundation, Italy

• Floga, Greece

• Tabletochki, Ukraine

• PanCare, Paneuropean

• University of Lucern (UNILU), Switzerland

The Butterfly project is made possible thanks to Horizon Europe/Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND project number 101081481, the Princess Máxima Center and the participating research groups. 

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