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Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi) has announced that NICE has been chosen as co-hosts of their 2021 Annual Meeting.

Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi) has announced that NICE has been chosen as co-hosts of their 2021 Annual Meeting. 

The meeting, to be held in Manchester, is an opportunity to showcase UK expertise in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and will be co-hosted by NICE, Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and the All Wales Therapeutics & Toxicology Centre (AWTTC).

The proposed theme for the event is Innovation Through HTA. The meeting will highlight the need for HTA bodies like NICE to evolve and innovate to meet the challenges of new types of evidence and personalised technologies, and to support patient access to evidence-based care.

Meindert Boysen, Director of the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation at NICE, yesterday said:

“The HTAi Annual Meeting, coming to Manchester in 2021, presents a wonderful opportunity for NICE and its partners to showcase the UK’s world class expertise in HTA. I am sure everyone will enjoy the event and all the great things the city has to offer. I am looking forward to working with colleagues in Scotland and Wales, and our academic, industry and patient group partners to share ideas that will push healthcare forward in the 21st century. We also appreciate the support of the Annual Meeting sponsors and supporters in industry and academia.”

NICE and its co-hosts have around 200 staff engaged primarily in HTA activities and are looking forward to sharing their expertise in developing outstanding HTA programmes and supporting the uptake of innovation in the NHS. 

The Annual Meeting will provide an opportunity for researchers, policymakers, health care practitioners, technology developers and patients to reflect on how they might innovate in their practice at regional and local level, across the core HTA elements of evidence, methods and decision-making.

Approximately 1,100 delegates are expected to arrive in Manchester, which was chosen due its excellent accessibility and transport links, world-class facilities, vibrancy and contribution to science.

Manchester, the city that formed the basis of the very first industrial revolution, is just the place to discuss the impact of recent advances in science, technology and computing, often referred to as the ‘fourth industrial revolution’, on HTA.

The HTAi Annual Meeting in Manchester will take place in June 2021. Further details to follow, including ticket availability.