Brussels breast cancer research body to close with loss of 37 jobs

Breast International Group (BIG), a Brussels-based non-profit organisation dedicated to breast cancer research, is shutting its doors for financial reasons.

The closure will result in the loss of 37 jobs when operations cease at the end of October.

“The closure of BIG reflects the harsh reality facing independent academic research today,” said treasurer Ander Urruticoechea Ribate.

“The lack of sustainable funding, the increasing challenges in obtaining grants, growing competition from commercial players and the current geopolitical climate – in which resources are often diverted from healthcare and other social priorities – make it impossible to continue our work on the required scale.”

After examining various options, the board of directors concluded that there was no viable solution to overcome these difficulties and decided to proceed with a collective redundancy and the closure of the organisation by the end of 2026, in accordance with Belgian law.

BIG's closure was presented by its leaders as a "wake-up call about the state of independent academic research, particularly in the field of health".

BIG was founded in 1999 and brings together academic breast cancer research groups from around the world with the aim of promoting mutual cooperation and facilitating and accelerating breast cancer research.

The network consists of more than 50 collaborative groups and breast cancer research entities in Europe, Canada, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. These groups are linked to several thousand specialised hospitals and research centres around the world, which has enabled the establishment of large international patient-centred trials.

The non-profit organisation emphasised that ongoing studies can be continued through transfers to other study partners.

“The decision to close BIG after 26 years is the most painful and momentous moment in our organisation’s history,” said chairman David Allan Cameron.

“The collaboration, knowledge and progress that BIG has promoted worldwide have led to a better understanding of breast cancer and improved treatments.”

BIG refers, for example, to studies such as ‘Hera’ and ‘Aphinity’.

“These have transformed HER2-positive breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms, into a treatable condition, with significant improvements in disease-free survival and long-term outcomes for millions of women,” the organisation said.

The job cuts in the various departments of BIG will be implemented in several phases over the coming months.