Background
The rising incidence of early-onset cancers (ages 20–49) globally, and particularly in Australia¹, has highlighted an urgent need for research into risk factors, including environmental and genetic interactions, and the unique supportive care needs of younger adults with cancer.

Cancer Australia (CA), Australia’s national cancer control agency, is mandated to invest in research and strategically leverage funding to maximise impact and influence across the cancer control system. Through the Cancer Australia Research Initiative (CARI), CA funds research into evidence-led priority areas of unmet and emerging need. The first CARI grant round focused on early-onset cancers to catalyse broader investment and multidisciplinary collaboration in this emerging field.

Objectives
To demonstrate how CA operationalises the science–policy interface through CARI by:

• Translating evidence into research priorities and enabling responsive policy.
• Leveraging co-funding to expand investment.
• Building sector resilience, capacity and equity.

Methods
CARI is designed for flexibility, enabling timely responses to emerging priorities and sustained focus where needed. Each year, priorities are set through an open, evidence-based process aligned with the Australian Cancer Plan. The 2025 grant round established a replicable method to identify the research priority. This method combined data analysis, literature reviews, and input from experts and consumers, supported by a strong governance structure to guide future rounds.

Results
In partnership with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), CA is delivering CARI to support sector-wide investment in robust, peer-reviewed research into early-onset cancers². CARI’s design demonstrates a clear science-evidence-policy pathway that identifies need, shapes policy and funding priorities, and drives further investment.

The following elements contributed to CA’s success in the approach:

• Evidence-led prioritisation: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data and a commissioned epidemiological review, including analysis of rising incidence trends, confirmed early-onset cancer as a critical and growing unmet need.
• Responsive design: Targeted research priorities directly address evidence-identified knowledge gaps, with a focus on novel clinical approaches for earlier diagnosis and innovative care models tailored to younger adults.
• Impact and influence: The round attracted a strong field of applications, likely to yield high-quality, fundable research projects. CA is leveraging additional investment by matching non-government funding partners with quality proposals.
• Resilience and equity: Embedded capacity-building support for early- and mid-career researchers and targeted attention to priority population needs, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, will strengthen equity and capability across the sector.

Conclusions/Implications
CARI shows how evidence can be translated into action – shaping cancer policy through clear research priorities and targeted investment. By applying modest but strategic funding, Cancer Australia actively directs the research sector toward emerging areas of need, with equity embedded in decision‑making. This demonstrates the role a national cancer control agency can play in shaping the research landscape, responding rapidly to evidence gaps, and focusing effort on what matters most to people affected by cancer.

Source material:
1: Cancer Data in Australia – Update. 2024. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
2: Cancer Australia Research Initiative | Cancer Australia