The IAEA has designated the Princess Máxima Center for Paediatric Oncology as a Collaborating Centre to strengthen childhood cancer care worldwide, with a focus on improving radiotherapy for children.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi signed the partnership agreement in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in a ceremony attended by Her Majesty Queen Máxima.
“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 apply what they learn at the Princess Máxima Center in their home countries, benefiting children and families who rely on those services.
Prof. Dr. Rob Pieters, Chief Máxima International at the Princess Máxima Center, said the designation will allow the centre to train radiotherapy oncologists to treat children more safely and effectively and to advance knowledge by working with hospitals in underserved 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 prioritise support in Africa, beginning with a coordinated initiative in Kenya to strengthen paediatric cancer care, translating global expertise into regional impact.
The centre will host regional training courses for paediatric radiation oncology teams, starting with a course currently underway in Utrecht, and will help build capacity in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia where education and training are top priorities.
The designation supports the IAEA’s Rays of Hope initiative to expand access to cancer care in low- and middle-income countries by strengthening radiotherapy and related services, leveraging the Princess Máxima Center’s expertise to accelerate development of global standards and training programmes for safe, effective and sustainable childhood cancer treatment.
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