I wish cancer research didn’t exist.

Imagine a world without cancer, where a cure existed to eradicate this disease.

Today, the best way for us to achieve this is through cancer research, and extremely bold goals like this require game-changing innovation.

Fittingly, the .cancerresearch Top Level Domain will launch on World Cancer Day (February 4) and use this fantastic new digital platform to show that cancer, its treatments and its cures, are not beyond us. You can see the promotional campaign at theone.cancerresearch—and express your support.

The .cancerresearch Top Level Domain is unique and something I’m extremely proud to be involved with. Like many people around the world, cancer has had devastating impact on my family and I’m extremely passionate about the potential that .cancerresearch represents.

It is the first Top Level Domain in the world to be launched with a network of websites that provide reliable and trusted information to the global community. And, as the name suggests, its sole purpose is to find a cure for cancer through research.

From today, the internet-using public can type domains such as home.cancerresearch and news.cancerresearch into the URL bar to find information that helps people affected by cancer, and also provides information on world-class cancer research that is aiming to beat this disease.

In addition, the launch will include a series of sites such as lung.cancerresearch or breast.cancerresearch which will provide detailed information related to these specific diseases.

The information is free and available to everyone across the world—and its intention is to build awareness and education around cancer itself and the amazing progress that has been made in relation to its cure, and to provide hope for those who are ever affected by this horrible disease.

How did we get here?

ARI Registry Services has been working alongside the applicant (the Australian Cancer Research Foundation), since the idea was first conceived in 2011. In addition to writing the application during the ICANN application period and being the backend technical partner, we’ve been intimately involved in the development of the strategy and a range of implementation and policy elements. Personally, I’m extremely proud of this project, and it’s a wonderful achievement for our organisation, the TLD industry as a whole, the Australian Cancer Research Foundation and a significant opportunity for the Not-for-Profit sector.

In designing the strategy, ARI and ACRF wanted to achieve a method by which we could promote the amazing work being done by the researchers that dedicate their lives to finding cures for cancer. Additionally, we wanted to find a way to provide reliable information—and importantly, hope—to the global community.

During the strategy development, it was apparent that demand existed for this type of information through sources such as Wikipedia, but we wanted to link the TLD strategy to a higher purpose; something that could genuinely disrupt the status quo, something that is necessary to beat a disease that has impacted the lives of so many.

With over a billion websites in existence today, there is already so much content available online, and as a result, internet users are really looking for beacons of relevant, targeted information from sources they can trust.

The .cancerresearch Top Level Domain provided the platform to design a solution that utilises a unique series of websites which will increase awareness and visibility of cancer research. These sites will facilitate communication and spread the message that, through the support of the cancer research community, we can all work together to help beat cancer.

At ARI Registry Services, we really believe the internet-using public will embrace the simplicity of visiting the series of .cancerresearch sites, such as home.cancerresearch, news.cancerresearch, and even donate.cancerresearch, for those who would like to contribute towards the fight.

After all, simplicity and relevant navigation is really what new TLDs are all about.

Industry Perspective

The industry has made significant inroads since the first delegation in late 2013. Yet despite having delegated almost 500 TLDs, and over 4 million domains registered to date, there is still a long way to go before we can confidently say we have achieved end-user awareness and buy-in.

What the industry is really waiting for is a great marketing campaign by one of the more prominent .brand applicants and frankly, I think that one of the bigger players such as Google have a responsibility to help the program by taking the lead on this.

The reality is that most others are taking a wait-and-see approach—but I strongly believe that in addition to our ultimate vision of curing cancer, .cancerresearch can truly help other TLD applicants by providing a real-world example of how a TLD can be implemented, launched, and used. Ultimately we want this to help all new TLD applicants, in particular those that have applied for a .brand and are struggling with the internal appetite for launching their TLD.

I wish cancer research didn’t exist. I wish we didn’t need it. But we do.

And through engagement with the .cancerresearch experience, we can all help to make big inroads into changing people’s lives.

To get involved, please visit theone.cancerresearch and see the wonderful marketing campaign that has been developed by M&C Saatchi in collaboration with ACRF and ARI Registry Services, or feel free to contact me directly at [email protected] if you’d like to know more about the process of developing the TLD strategy and launch plans.