CO-CAPTAIN Final Conference

After several years of collaborative research, pilot implementation and stakeholder engagement across Europe, the CO-CAPTAIN project is approaching its final milestone: the CO-CAPTAIN Final Conference, which will take place on 16 April 2026 (09:00–13:30 CET) in Brussels as a hybrid event.

The conference is organised by Mental Health Europe and will bring together project partners, policymakers, researchers, healthcare professionals, civil society organisations and European stakeholders to reflect on the lessons learned from the project and discuss how to advance more inclusive and equitable cancer prevention strategies across Europe.

📍 Location: Manos Conference & Business Center, Brussels (with online participation available).

From pilot experience to future action

CO-CAPTAIN has been working to address an important but often overlooked challenge: improving access to cancer prevention for people experiencing mental ill-health. Through the implementation of a person-centred Patient Navigation model, the project has explored how health systems can better support individuals in navigating prevention services such as screening, smoking cessation, healthy lifestyle interventions and other preventive pathways.

During the conference, participants will have the opportunity to:

Discover key insights and lessons learned from the four CO-CAPTAIN pilot sites
Explore the Patient Navigation model and its role in improving access to prevention services
Discuss policy recommendations and future opportunities for scaling up inclusive cancer prevention approaches
Engage in dialogue with stakeholders working at the intersection of mental health, cancer prevention and health policy

What to expect from the programme

The preliminary programme will feature a mix of presentations, discussions and interactive exchanges designed to connect research, policy and practice.

Participants can expect:

Opening remarks from European policy representatives
Presentations on the CO-CAPTAIN navigation model and the project’s key findings
Perspectives and testimonials from the pilot implementation sites
A panel discussion exploring the opportunities and challenges of implementing navigation models in different health systems
A policy debate on how to support the integration of person-centred cancer prevention approaches into European and national policies
Networking opportunities with experts and stakeholders working in cancer prevention and mental health.