Edificio CNIO / Laura M. Lombardía CNIO
The CNIO, Spain's leading cancer research center, focuses its scientific, technological, and human resources on the major challenges currently faced by cancer research.
CNIO's new Action Plan, approved in December 2025 by its Board of Trustees at the proposal of the centre's Management, includes the creation of two new programs to improve cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment: Systems and Computational Cancer Biology; and Precision and Population Cancer Genomics.
The plan fosters the interaction between basic and clinical research groups by increasing partnerships with Spanish and international hospitals, to speed up drug and cell therapy development.
With the launch of this new Action Plan, CNIO aims to consolidate its status as a national center of excellence in cancer genomics, in line with major international initiatives in which it already plays a prominent role.
The Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), Spain’s leading cancer research center and one of the most productive worldwide, has begun implementing its new Action Plan, approved in December 2025 by its Board of Trustees at the proposal of the center’s management. The plan envisages strengthening artificial intelligence and computational techniques to enhance the center’s science with the aim of improving cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
In addition, CNIO will increase partnerships with Spanish and international hospitals and research centers so that achievements from its laboratories translate as quickly as possible into benefits for people with cancer.
The Plan, to be published in full on CNIO’s website, directs the Center’s scientific, technological, and human resources toward the major challenges currently facing cancer research.
This Plan responds to the profound changes undergone by the science of cancer in recent years. By implementing it, CNIO aims to remain an international center of excellence, adapting its organization to focus its efforts on areas with the greatest scientific impact and future potential.
New scientific programs and technological reinforcement
The Plan foresees the implementation of two new scientific programs with advanced computational and genomic approaches: Systems and Computational Biology of Cancer; and Precision and Population Cancer Genomics. These programs reinforce the use of artificial intelligence and computational methodologies to accelerate cancer knowledge and improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
The CNIO will have 11 scientific and technological innovation platforms to support research groups in key technologies such as biobanking, genomics, and proteomics, which will promote their use and their collaboration with other centers, both Spanish and worldwide, and also help attract external funding.
Better clinical integration and patient guidance
The Plan reinforces clinical research and encourages its integration with basic research, expanding partnerships with Spanish and international hospitals. The goal is to accelerate the translation of scientific advances into real benefits for patients, and expand research to new types of tumors.
The CNIO now has five clinical research groups, four of which collaborate with hospitals in the Madrid area (Hospital 12 de Octubre and Hospital La Paz) and Barcelona (Hospital del Mar). The new Plan is set to boost the development of drugs and cell therapies as new immunotherapy strategies, the search for new biomarkers and the study of resistance mechanisms and immune evasion in cancer.
In the long term, the CNIO aims to consolidate its position as a national center of excellence in cancer genomics, in line with major international initiatives in which it already plays a leading role.
Reorganizing units for the current environment
As part of this change of structure, the Plan envisages adapting the Center’s organizational model to developments in the scientific and healthcare environment, which means that some activities will no longer be carried out as independent units.
CNIO’s strategy now focuses on personalized and familial precision cancer research. In the case of the Molecular Diagnosis and Familial Cancer units, routine genetic diagnosis is now structurally integrated into the National Health System.
In terms of research into new therapies, the CNIO focuses on immunotherapy and new cell therapies. Following a strategic analysis, the Plan concludes that the scientific impact and institutional return of the resources for the Experimental Therapeutics Program will be greater if they are devoted to prioritize
areas such as advanced genomics, computational biology, and shared technology platforms.
These decisions are based criteria for strategic prioritization, alignment with the CNIO’s research mission, and the efficient and sustainable use of public resources.
Modernization of management and good governance
The reorganization also includes a modernization of the management structure, focusing on people, fundraising, digitization, transparency, and good governance.
With this reorganization, the CNIO reasserts its commitment to scientific excellence, the responsible use of public resources, and the generation of knowledge with a real impact in the fight against cancer.About the National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO