Macmillan Q Lab
Macmillan Cancer Support is proud to be partnering with Q, hosted by the NHS Alliance, to deliver an innovation lab.
Macmillan Q Lab brings together people from local health and care services and communities across the UK to come up with solutions to one big question:
“How might we reimagine holistic cancer care closer to people's homes?”
About Macmillan Q Lab
Join us to shape creative solutions that could make cancer care fairer for people living with cancer across the UK.
Over the course of 9 months, you will take part in a series of workshops, facilitated peer learning and coaching on a design process, as well as getting access to expertise from Q and Macmillan with £75,000 to support teams through the process.
Through collaboration and thoughtful design, we can turn the idea of ‘care closer to home’ into real, practical change for people living with cancer.
Together, we will come up with better ways to support the people having the worst experiences, who often live in the most under-served communities.
There are two ways to get involved:
- As a team. Teams are made up of community organisations and public sector organisations working together.
- As an individual who has experienced cancer personally, as a carer for someone with cancer, or as a health professional.
Who can apply?
We invite you to apply if you are:
- Already working on neighbourhood-led cancer care, an element of bringing cancer care closer to home, or are highly motivated by the topic.
- Curious, open to new ways of thinking, and willing to challenge the status quo.
- Have a desire and energy to work collaboratively.
- Believe that thinking collectively across systems, regions, and teams will help your work.
- Able to commit to working on this topic from December 2026 to September 2027.
- A team made up of community organisations and public sector organisations working together.
- An individual with experience of cancer either from personal lived experience, caring for someone with cancer, or from professional experience.
- Located in the UK.
More information and Team application guidance packs
Team role
Information call recording
On Wednesday, 5 August 12-1pm we held a webinar on Teams for you to meet the team and ask any questions. For those of you that were unable to attend the webinar and would like to hear more about Macmillan Q Lab please watch the video on YouTube.
Team role eligibility criteria
- Your organisations are based in the UK.
- Your team has at least one community organisation and one public sector organisation.
- Your team has senior leadership sponsorship for involvement in the Lab.
- Your team includes people with lived experience of cancer, or you have a plan in place to achieve this.
- Your team can commit to the time required to participate fully in the Lab.
- The Host organisation can coordinate, and has the mechanisms in place to distribute funds to other organisations involved.
How to apply
Check eligibility
Review information and Grant Agreement
Prepare and submit your application
Contributor role
Application deadline: Wednesday 7 October 2026.
Contributor role criteria
There are two types of individual contributors:
- people who have expertise from lived experience of cancer or from caring for someone with cancer
- people who have professional expertise.
Any contributor must be based in the UK and able to commit to the time required to participate fully in the Lab.
We welcome applications from:
- people with lived experience of cancer
- people affected by cancer (carers)
- healthcare professionals
- people from grassroots organisations working with people who are affected by cancer
- people with a background in data and insight
- people with practical knowledge around community engagement
- people with a policy background.
If you have other experience not listed here, please do apply.
We particularly encourage the involvement of people from ethnically diverse communities, disabled people, LGBTQIA+ people, and those living with other long-term conditions.
Selection criteria:
Contributors will be selected to ensure diverse representation across those with lived experience of cancer, diverse communities, backgrounds, professional expertise and perspectives across England and the devolved nations.
Submitting an application for the contributor role
Review the guidance
Prepare your submission
Click Apply Now
Individual contributor information and application guidance
Contact us
For any questions, or support with completing the application form, please contact the team at QLabMacmillan@macmillan.org.uk
About Q Lab
- Q Lab is an innovation lab that tackles knotty problems in health and care services.
- We know finding solutions to difficult problems in health and social care can be challenging. It requires imagination and creative thinking.
- Q Lab supports people to come up with solutions, enabling you to experiment and learn in a safe space through a structured design process. Joining a Lab also gives you the skills and methods to put ideas for change into practice.
- You will get the chance to develop your project, strengthen your skills for change and work with a passionate group of people on a shared goal.
- More on the Lab is available on the Q site.