The CCRI is an academic research institution carried by a private society and affiliated with the leading Austrian pediatric oncology clinic, the St. Anna Children´s Hospital. Basic, translational, and clinical research have a long tradition with a leading involvement of the hospital and the CCRI in international cooperative treatment protocols and clinical trials since the 1970’s. The ultimate aim of the CCRI is to improve treatment outcome of malignant diseases in children and adolescents. The CCRI is particularly strong in leukemia, neuroblastoma and sarcoma research, tumor and transplantation immunology, and national and international clinical trial management. The Institute also serves as a reference diagnostic center for Austrian and international patients with hematologic and neoplastic diseases for many disease entities.

The CCRI is well equipped with state-of-the-art cell and molecular biology equipment, flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, zebrafish and bioinformatics core facilities, a GMP facility, and has access to small animal facilities and next generation sequencing. Within the CCRI a large clinical study center exists that leads several international clinical trials as well as the majority of national pediatric clinical trials and investigator driven treatment protocols. The CCRI hosts around 150 investigators, students and supporting staff. The Institute is funded through a broad base of private donations as well as through national and international research grants. Its major strength lies in the close interaction with the clinics, supported by its close proximity to the hospital and day to day interactions with the team of clinicians, resulting in a constant exposure to clinical questions, patient diagnostic needs, clinical trial performance, and clinical investigational material. 

Besides its affiliation with the St. Anna Children´s Hospital and the Medical University of Vienna, the Institute also has close collaborations with several Vienna-based outstanding research institutes, such as the Center for Molecular Medicine (CeMM), the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), among others.