The SYNERGY project is a pooled analysis of case-control studies on the joint effects of occupational carcinogens in the development of lung cancer. The aim of SYNERGY is to study the joint effects of occupational lung carcinogens and smoking. As of December 2011, data from 14 case-control studies conducted by renowned research groups in Europe and North America have been pooled, and the database contains individual lifetime data on occupations and smoking for more than 17 700 lung cancer cases and more than 21 800 control subjects.

The unique aspect of the SYNERGY project is its innovative strategy for assessing occupational exposures. The project currently focuses on exposure to asbestos, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nickel, chromium, and respirable crystalline silica. Quantitative exposure measurements were collected from large national or industry-specific exposure databases in Europe and Canada. The SYN-JEM, a job-exposure matrix based on these measurements, has been used to assign exposure to each study participant.

The SYNERGY project was funded by the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) and is coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the DGUV, Institute of the Ruhr-University Bochum (IPA), and the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences at Utrecht University (IRAS)