OnkoAktiv receives Cancer Innovation Award 2025
The nationwide OnkoAktiv network, founded at the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) in Heidelberg, has been awarded the Baden-Württemberg Cancer Innovation Prize 2025. The prize recognizes OnkoAktiv for its pioneering role and groundbreaking contribution to the integration of exercise into oncological care.
The National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg is a joint institution of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD), Heidelberg University Medical Faculty, and Heidelberg Thorax Clinic.
The OnkoAktiv network has been awarded the Baden-Württemberg Cancer Innovation Award 2025 by the Baden-Württemberg Cancer Association. The award recognizes institutions, associations, and individuals who use innovative approaches to improve the prevention, treatment, and support of patients in the long term.
Joachim Wiskemann, the network's founder and head of the working group Exercise Oncology at NCT Heidelberg, accepted the award at the conference of the Transdisciplinary Oncological Care Working Group (ATO) Baden-Württemberg in Freiburg. The Cancer Innovation Award is presented every two years and is endowed with 5,000 euros. The patron of the award is Gerlinde Kretschmann.
OnkoAktiv was founded in 2012 on the initiative of Joachim Wiskemann at the NCT Heidelberg and has since developed from a regional initiative into a nationwide network for oncological exercise promotion and therapy. The aim is to provide all cancer patients with local, quality-assured access to exercise therapy – individually tailored, professionally supervised, and scientifically based.
The network connects oncological healthcare facilities such as clinics and practices with rehabilitation centers, physiotherapy practices, sports clubs, and fitness studios in the respective region. A structured certification process ensures the quality of the exercise therapy services offered. In addition, supporting members participate in the network, including yoga and relaxation groups as well as personal trainers.
“Exercise acts like a medicine. It has been proven to improve the quality of life and therapeutic success of many patients. With OnkoAktiv, we can make an important contribution to this,” says Joachim Wiskemann. “The Cancer Innovation Award is a valuable recognition of the joint work of many committed partners throughout the network.”
OnkoAktiv will use the prize money to further develop digital and personalized information services so that it can provide even more targeted support to patients in the future. The network aims to establish exercise as an integral and sustainable part of oncological therapy throughout Germany in the future—based on scientific evidence and easily accessible to patients throughout Germany.
