The European project PIECES, coordinated by the Tobacco Control Unit of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), successfully held its third Annual Consortium Meeting in Tirana, Albania. The meeting brought together its partners for two days of intensive collaboration, strategic reflection, and future planning, at a key moment as the project enters its final year.
This year’s meeting, organized by the University of Medicine of Tirana, a project partner, took place at the Academy of Sciences of Albania, which provided a dynamic and suitable environment for discussing achievements to date and future challenges.
One of the central focuses of the meeting was the long-term sustainability and impact of the project’s two main outputs:
- The PIECES Toolkit: a step-by-step digital solution designed to support users in implementing effective cancer prevention programs.
- The PIECES Repository: a comprehensive, searchable database of evidence-based cancer prevention initiatives.
Consortium partners, with the strong involvement of the Tobacco Control Unit as the coordinating entity, explored various strategies to ensure that both tools remain accessible, relevant, and impactful beyond the project’s duration.
Significant attention was also given to updates from the PIECES Study, which evaluates the performance of the Toolkit across different European contexts. Several partners shared preliminary results and practical experiences from its local implementation.
Alongside these technical sessions, the meeting addressed key aspects of the final phase of the project. Plans for scientific publications were reviewed, the status of ongoing doctoral research was analyzed, and the dissemination strategy was refined to maximize the visibility, uptake, and long-term impact of the project’s results.
The meeting once again highlighted the strength of collaboration within the PIECES consortium. Participants contributed valuable perspectives, shared lessons learned, and reaffirmed their commitment to improving cancer prevention.
As the project enters its final year, the focus now shifts to consolidating results and ensuring a lasting legacy. Partners are already looking ahead to the next meeting in Brussels, where the final PIECES event will take place, marking the culmination of this collaborative effort.
