The International Atomic Energy Agency has designated the Princess Máxima Center for Paediatric Oncology as an IAEA Collaborating Centre to strengthen childhood cancer care worldwide.
The agreement was signed in Utrecht, the Netherlands, by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, with Her Majesty Queen Máxima in attendance. The partnership will focus on building practical knowledge in the use of radiotherapy for treating children with cancer.
“It is our mission to reduce the big disparities in radiotherapy for children around the world; knowledge and training are a key part of that,” Grossi said. He added that paediatric radiotherapy teams will be able to take what they learn at the Princess Máxima Center back to colleagues in their home countries and to the children and families who rely on them.
The designation will advance education, training and quality assurance in paediatric radiation oncology, medical physics and nutrition, supporting the IAEA’s Human Health Programme and its Rays of Hope initiative. The IAEA will work closely with the centre to improve radiotherapy treatment for children with cancer.
Prof. Dr. Rob Pieters, Chief Máxima International at the Princess Máxima Center, said the collaboration will enable training that helps clinicians treat children more safely and effectively and will deepen the centre’s work with hospitals in low- and middle-income regions. “This substantially contributes to our centre’s mission: curing every child with cancer, with the best possible quality of life. Everywhere,” he said.
As an IAEA Collaborating Centre, the Princess Máxima Center will provide expert support to IAEA technical missions, including paediatric radiation oncology quality assurance missions and QUATRO audits, and will help develop guidance documents and training materials for radiation oncology, medical physics and nutrition professionals.
The partnership will prioritise support in Africa, beginning with a coordinated initiative in Kenya, aimed at translating global expertise into regional impact. The centre will also host regional training courses for paediatric radiation oncology teams, beginning with an edition held in Utrecht this week, and will strengthen capacity in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia.
The designation reinforces the IAEA’s Rays of Hope initiative to expand access to cancer care in low- and middle-income countries. By leveraging the Princess Máxima Center’s expertise, the IAEA aims to accelerate development of global standards and training programmes to help countries implement safe, effective and sustainable solutions for childhood cancer treatment.
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