The International Atomic Energy Agency has designated the Princess Máxima Center for Paediatric Oncology as an IAEA Collaborating Centre and signed a partnership agreement in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in a ceremony attended by Queen Máxima. The agreement, signed by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, aims to strengthen practical knowledge on the use of radiotherapy for treating children with cancer.
“Knowledge and training are a key part” of reducing disparities in paediatric radiotherapy, Grossi said, adding that teams trained at the Princess Máxima Center will take skills back to colleagues and patients in their home countries.
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 and the Centre will work together to improve radiotherapy treatment for children worldwide.
Prof. Dr. Rob Pieters, Chief Máxima International at the Princess Máxima Center, said the partnership will enable the centre to train radiotherapy oncologists to treat children more safely and effectively in their own countries and to deepen collaboration with hospitals in those regions.
As an IAEA Collaborating Centre, the Princess Máxima Center will support IAEA technical missions, including paediatric radiation oncology quality assurance missions and QUATRO audits, and assist in developing guidance documents and training materials for radiation oncology, medical physics and nutrition professionals.
The partnership will focus support where access to high-quality paediatric cancer care is most needed, beginning with a coordinated initiative in Africa that will start in Kenya. Grossi said the effort represents a step toward translating global expertise into regional impact.
The centre will host regional training courses for paediatric radiation oncology teams, beginning with the first edition currently under way in Utrecht. These activities will also strengthen capacity in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, where education and training have been identified as priorities.
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 childhood cancer treatment.
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