Three ways a company can fund lung cancer research: Ecosystem, Research and Hybrid Partner

Two questions a company asks itself

A company that wants to support scientific research into lung cancer usually wonders about two things: where the funds will actually go, and what it will be able to say about that support. Strongers answers with the Hybrid Funding Model: two funding channels with separate roles and three partnership profiles, declared upfront.

The chain goes like this: sport → community → restricted capital → oncology research. The motto that sums it up: Performance serves progress. Sport fuels research.

Two channels, two roles

Research-restricted capital. Allocated exclusively to lung cancer research and awarded through the Strongers For Research grant programme, in the form of mini-grant to young researchers under 40.

Enabling capital. Supports sporting events, community activation and the infrastructure that makes them possible. Events are what generate participation and visibility.

Two funding channels. Two distinct roles. One integrated mission. Keeping the two channels separate serves a precise purpose: those who fund research know that those funds do not cover the costs of an event.

The three partnership profiles

• Ecosystem Partner — enables. Supports the delivery of events, community activation and ecosystem infrastructure.
• Research Partner — restricts. Provides capital dedicated solely to research, to activate dedicated fellowships or grants.
• Hybrid Partner — combines. Brings together ecosystem support and direct research activation.

How researchers are selected

Three principles govern the use of restricted capital:

• Researcher First: funding goes to the researcher, not directly to the project.
• Independent committee: applications are evaluated by an independent Scientific Committee.
• Published criteria: criteria and evaluation grid are publicly available.

What has been funded so far

Across two editions of the grant programme, 2024 and 2025, Strongers has disbursed €20,700 to 7 researchers under 40 studying lung cancer: 3 grants of €2,900 in 2024 and 4 of €3,000 in 2025. Researcher profiles are publicly available at strongers.org/impact/ricercatori.

This is a small-scale programme, and we say so openly. The mini-grant steps in at the beginning of a researcher's career, when flexible funding is hardest to find: that is where a corporate partner can make it possible to support more researchers.

Where to start

If your company wants to understand which of the three profiles best matches its objectives, the first step is a conversation: contact us through the contact form by selecting "partnership".