"The Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC), the Italian leading charity providing about 40% of all research funds invested in cancer research in Italy, proposes to award 60 fellowship-years for international mobility in two yearly calls for proposals. The calls will be published, executed, and concluded in the 4 years of the FELCARES duration. AIRC aims at increasing its international dimension by strengthening its current programme of Outgoing Fellowships and by introducing the new tool of Incoming and Re-integration Fellowships. To reach this goal, AIRC will: a)Increase the number of the international fellowship-year from 12 awarded in 2008 to 30 per year to be awarded in FELCARES; b)Increase its own budget committed per year; c)Increase the fellowship’ wages from the current average 30.279 Euro/year to an average 40.000 Euro/year. AIRC will take advantage of its well-established and transparent criteria and methods for the evaluation and selection of the applications, adapting them to the new proposed international dimension. In the new international calls, AIRC will address the following issues: Multidisciplinary and multisectorial approaches to cancer research;Attention to researchers from less-favoured countries in Europe and worldwide;Complementary skills training in the projects to be awarded;Special care to achieving the optimal gender balance in cancer research.The anticipated outcomes of the proposed international fellowship programme will coincide with the main objectives of ERA. Bringing its initiatives to a wider international level, AIRC will expand its worldwide contacts and will get in touch with other similar programmes in Europe. This will contribute to overcome the fragmentation of the many programmes that are currently implemented in a dispersive manner.Furthermore the addition of the new fellowship scheme will definitely increase the flow of competent researchers through Europe and will bring to a wide-opening of the ERA to the world."