Our advisory committees

The Science Strategy Committee (SSC) provides expert advice directly to the Board of Trustees. Members include leading, international scientists, clinicians and patient advocates. The SSC meets 2 times a year.

The main purpose of the SSC is to oversee Breast Cancer Now’s research portfolio and its funding mechanisms, ensuring the strategic aims of the charity are delivered effectively. Working closely alongside the research team, the SSC is responsible for:

• Monitoring the impact of Breast Cancer Now’s research expenditure against the strategy

• Monitoring Breast Cancer Now’s grant funding mechanisms to ensure we deliver our strategic aims
• Advising the Board of Trustees on the distribution of the annual research budget across Breast Cancer Now’s research portfolio
• Reviewing and advising on scientific progress, including reviewing the annual progress of Breast Cancer Now’s long-term programmes

Members have a fixed term of office and all members, including the chair, can serve for no longer than 6 years. After this, members may be invited to become a member again, but only following a break of at least 3 years.

The Biobank Advisory Council (BAC) is responsible for advising Breast Cancer Now on best practice issues relating to biobanking and to provide insight and guidance so that the biobank can be world leading. BAC members consist of experts in biobanking, scientists, clinicians and those who have had personal experience of breast cancer. The BAC meets 2 times a year.  

The Access Committee (AC) is a virtual committee and is responsible for conducting a light touch review of requests to access clinical material in the biobank to enable the release of patient samples and their associated data to researchers.  

If you have any questions about our biobank committee, please contact us.

For any queries about the SSC, please contact us.

Our funding committees include the Grants Committee (GC), the Improving Public Health, Equity and Wellbeing Committee (IPHEWC) and for 2024/25, the Dormancy and Late Recurrence Committee (DLRC).

These committees consist of leading breast cancer researchers. Together with many 100’s of scientists and clinicians around the world, through the process of expert review, they help decide what we fund in our response-mode funding schemes.  

As a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities, we adhere to their membership requirements to ensure our decision-making processes are fair, transparent and free from bias.

Members have a fixed term of office and all members, including the chair, can serve for no longer than 6 years. After this, members may be invited to become a member again, but only following a break of at least 3 years.