Quick guide to:
the HTAi 2021 Annual Meeting

The Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi) 2021 Annual Meeting was originally scheduled to be held in Manchester:
"The birthplace of the industrial revolution and a modern, pioneering hub of creativity. A location which could not be more suited to the [event] theme of innovation!"
However, like so many other recent events, the meeting had to move to a virtual platform when COVID-19 came along.
We co-hosted the HTAi Virtual Annual Meeting from Saturday 19 to Wednesday 23 June 2021. The theme of the event was 'Innovation through health technology assessment (HTA)'.
Here’s our quick guide to everything you need to know.

A graphic from the promotional campaign
A graphic from the promotional campaign

Health Technology Assessment international (HTAi) is a global network with members from over 60 countries
Health Technology Assessment international (HTAi) is a global network with members from over 60 countries
An international collaboration

Health Technology Assessment international (HTAi) is a global network with members from over 60 countries
Health Technology Assessment international (HTAi) is a global scientific and professional society. It's a network for people who produce, use, or encounter HTA to support policy and decision making.
In June 2019, HTAi announced that NICE had been chosen as one of the host organisations of the 2021 Annual Meeting.
Over the past 2 years, we worked closely with the International Scientific Program Committee and Local Organising Committee to plan and deliver the event.
Expertise and engagement
The 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting was an opportunity to showcase UK expertise in HTA and consider how people could innovate in their practice.
The event examined a wide range of topics on the plenary themes:
- Evidence for HTA: innovative methods for challenging times.
- Patients at the heart of innovation.
- Innovating HTA to support novel interventions.
Evolution and innovation
It also highlighted the need for HTA bodies (like us) to evolve and innovate so we can:
- meet the challenges of new types of evidence and personalised technologies
- support patient access to evidence-based care.
The importance of collaboration was a key topic. Dr June Raine CBE, chief executive at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), talked about how partnerships between HTA bodies and regulators can drive innovation.

The event was hosted using a virtual platform, so that people could attend from home
Learning from COVID-19
Many of the presentations acknowledged the lessons learned from the response to COVID-19. There was a focus on how HTA can:
- support the emergence of new technologies
- ensure early patient access to new treatments.
This included an award-winning talk by NICE information specialists Lynda Ayiku and Sarah Glover about the development and validation of health apps search filters.

The event was hosted using a virtual platform, so that people could attend from home
The event was hosted using a virtual platform, so that people could attend from home
A successful event
The event brought together over 900 attendees from the global HTA community, including:
- researchers
- policy makers
- practitioners
- developers
- patients.
As co-hosts, we were involved in many of the sessions on the day. Over 30 of our colleagues attended as part of workshops and panels, and to present posters and oral presentations.
As well as scientific sessions, there were opportunities for attendees to network and take part in mindfulness and wellbeing activities.
Positive feedback
"HTAi had many interesting sessions and discussions around a number of 'hot topics'. I found out about joint clinical assessment and scientific consultation at the European level, Impact HTA, and other international initiatives aiming to improve methods and processes.
"All the sessions and presentations worked so well, despite the challenges of holding a conference in a virtual-only setting. And it was impressive to see so many of our colleagues being invited to take part in panel discussions and having high quality oral presentations and posters.
"No doubt we were highly visible at HTAi and I think this helps to highlight NICE’s leading position in HTA!"
Find out more
A huge well done and thank you to everyone involved in planning and delivering the event.
You can read about the event in Meindert Boysen's blog, 'HTAi 2021 – a great opportunity for NICE to share our work with the global HTA community!'
If you'd like to find out more, contact Danielle Bailey, communications manager for the HTAi Virtual Annual Meeting.
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