# Ring-fence a fifth of national cancer research money for metastasis

Source: https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-bio2-metastasis-funding-floor/  
OnCo record `idea-bio2-metastasis-funding-floor` (Idea). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Spread causes around nine in ten cancer deaths but receives a small slice of research funding. A funding floor would change what gets studied.

## Summary

Portfolio analyses have repeatedly put metastasis research at roughly 5-10% of cancer research spend. A committed floor, with a transparent classification method, an annual public report and a dedicated review panel that understands metastasis models, is a pure policy lever with no scientific risk, only allocation risk.

## Fields

- Kind: Idea
- Last checked: 2026-09-08
- Hypothesis: A ring-fenced metastasis programme with its own review panel doubles the number of funded metastasis-specific projects within three years and measurably increases metastasis-focused clinical trials within eight.
- Rationale: Dedicated funding streams reliably grow fields: the same mechanism built radiopharmaceuticals, immunotherapy and paediatric oncology networks. Metastasis loses in general competition because its models are slower and its endpoints harder, which is a review-dynamics problem rather than a merit problem.
- Proposed test: One funder pilots a ring-fenced call with pre-registered classification of awards, then compares downstream publications, trials and career retention against matched general-competition awards over five years.
- Maturity: speculative
- Actor: policy

## Sources

- MetaVivor research funding: https://www.metavivor.org

## Connected records

- collections: [GLOBOCAN / Global Cancer Observatory](https://onco.cc/collections/globocan/)
- institutions: [Cancer Research UK](https://onco.cc/institutions/cruk/), [National Cancer Institute (NIH)](https://onco.cc/institutions/nci/)
- bottlenecks: [Funding follows fashion, not burden](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-funding-allocation/), [Metastasis is understood least and studied last](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-metastasis-biology/)

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