CRC is the IARC-GICR Iran Collaborating Center from January2018 for Three years 

MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT FOR JOINT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES AND ACADEMIC INTERCHANGES REFERENCE:  MOA/CSU/2O18/O1 

Cancer Research Center (CRC) of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) and International Agency for IARC agree that their mutual goal is to promote and conduct high-quality research to strengthen the evidence-base that underpins cancer prevention and control. 

BACKGROUND 

To help countries inform their cancer control planning in response to the growing cancer burden, the Global Initiative for Cancer Registry Development (GICR) was established by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The GICR is a coordinated program of actions delivered with the commitment of key international partners to strengthen information that can be used to develop targeted priorities in cancer prevention and control. IARC Regional Hubs have been developed to provide the necessary support, training, research capacity and advocacy to assist in a sustainable expansion of high-quality population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) within defined regions.

The IARC Mumbai Hub, located within the Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai, India, has been established to support South, Eastern and South-Eastern Asia. The Hub region includes 25 countries, with a combined population of nearly four billion people that account for approximately half of all newly diagnosed cancers worldwide. The IARC Izmir Hub, located in Izmir, Turkey, has responsibility for the remainder of Asia in addition to Northern Africa.

Selected IARC-GICR Collaborating Centers in Asia are being established to help deliver activities in support of the Mumbai and Izmir Hub Action plans, by focusing on specific content areas, sets of countries and/or functions. 

Iran is recognized as an important scientific partner internationally. The government has embarked on an expansive program of development to standardize cancer registration. Expertise in cancer registration at the CRC and in several of the PBCRs provides opportunities for continued development in the near future. 

OBJECTIVES 

The goal of this project is to establish the CRC as an “IARC-GICR Collaborating Center” serving nearby countries in Asia. The agreement will involve working directly with IARC, the IARC Mumbai Hub, the IARC Izmir Hub and associated IARC-GICR Collaborating Centers within the GICR framework to jointly define priorities and set forth activities. The scope of work is directed at building on the joint goals of the GICR and the CRC to increase the quality, availability and use of cancer registry data in order to inform cancer control planning in the region. More specifically, the collaboration would focus on:

1) training to build capacity in cancer registration;

2) conducting monitoring and evaluation of PBCRs,

3) mentorship of selected countries to receive practical guidance; and

4) a joint research program leading to the publication of scientific reports and articles in key international journals.

The outcomes of the collaboration are expected to strengthen the number of trained staff in cancer registration, data quality, research and reporting within Iran and neighboring countries.Incorporating a broader international focus, an increased number of research projects would provide greater insight into the burden of cancer at national, regional and international levels. The formal involvement of the CRC in the GICR will provide IARC with the ability to learn more about the registry activities in Iran, making it easier to collaborate in new research studies and publications. Both the CRC and IARC scientific staff would be provided greater opportunities to share expertise, and to assist in the development of the GICRNet and the GICR Mentorship Program. The GICRNet is aimed at supporting “IARC Regional Trainers” through improved technical skills and capacity to transfer knowledge. Each trainer will be asked to function as experts within their region in all matters related to their subject area and contribute to enhancement of learning material/tools. To develop trainers within GICRNet, courses will be held by IARC providing attendees with the necessary training and reference materials to enable them to serve as experts within their region in their respective subject area, providing onsite support and training to affiliated staff in the registries. As a complementary activity, the GICR Mentorship Program is designed to supplement formal training through twinning and mentorship arrangements. During the course of a mentorship stay, the host high-quality PBCR will be asked to provide an opportunity for an in-depth, hands-on experience in one or more specific aspect(s) of cancer registry operations for the trainee(s).

  JOINT COMMITMENTS

1. Training To identiff the CRC as an ‘IARC-GICR Collaborating Centre’ to host international courses regularly, with support from IARC. To work directly with selected GICR Par.tner Countries to provide regular support and assessment of progress towards mutual goals in cancer registration. This would include participation in the development and implementation of the GICR Twinning and Mentorship Program, whereby a commitment is provided for extended and recurring periods of time to mentor a registry with a practical learning program, supplemented by multiple in-person interactions. GICRNet trainers and other Hub Collaborating Centers are expected to comprise the main pool of mentors and sites for twinning. To select experienced staff from Iran registries to receive training by IARC as part of the GICRNet, to enable them to serve as experts, particularly within neighboring countries of the Mumbai and Izmir Hub regions. The focus will be on specific topics that contribute towards an ongoing network of IARC-GICR trainers that interact to help identify issues, priority actions, provide training and develop educational references. 
2. Research 1. Establish a program of research collaborations using cancer registration data on topics such as survival analysis, attributable risks, and evaluation and monitoring.

ROLES

IARC-GICR

1.  to work together with the CRC to assist with cancer registry training and provide additional reference material and online educational resources;
2.  to develop research proposals with the CRC to study cancer patterns in Asia and worldwide;
3.  to work with the CRC staff to identify areas for their involvement in the GICRNet, 
4. to work with the CRC to assess data quality issues and to jointly identify solutions,including the transition to CanReg5 in applicable registries; and, 
5. to provide formal recognition of the collaboration of the CRC as an ‘IARC-GICR Collaborating Centre’.

CRC

1. to seek, as needed, the participation of IARC to assist with training in cancer registration to Iran PBCRs to strengthen cancer registration data quality, capacity and reporting;
2. to serve as a liaison between IARC and the PBCRs in Iran to assist with the integration of PBCRs with the GICR activities as part of a regional cancer registry network;
3. to participate in the development of cancer registration reference material, including contributing to the scientific content, review and dissemination in Iran;
4. to ensure on-going liaison with IARC relating to the exchange of information (and inclusion on the CRC and GICR websites) regarding training initiatives, production of registry resources, and mentorship activities etc.;
5. to participate in the GICR Regional Advisory Committee meetings for the IARC Mumbai Hub and/or IARC Izmir Hub. Terms of Reference for the Advisory committee include: 1) ensuring the core activities of the Hub, as set out by the GICR, are implemented as uniformly as applicable across the region; 2) facilitating effective communication between the IARC, the Hub and IARC-GICR Collaborating Centers; 3) facilitating sharing of resources developed; 4) providing shared expertise to ensure the appropriate strategic direction of the Hub and supporting the development of cancer registries in the region; and,
6. to jointly develop with IARC research proposals and scientific peer-reviewed publications.