Innovation funding

In November 2020, NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative published their plans for further introducing MedTech Funding Mandate after the COVID-19 outbreak. The MedTech Funding Mandate policy and the consultation outcome report are planning to be published this winter to support its launch in April 2021.

In November 2020, NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative updated the Rapid Uptake Products program for 2020/21. Three innovations from the 2019/20 program will continue through 2020/21, and four new products were added.

In November 2020, the Innovation and Technology Payment (ITP) program for 2020/21 was released by NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative. ITP 2020/21 builds on the Innovation and Technology Tariff (ITT) and ITP 2019/20; eight products will continue to be supported. Additionally, two digital technologies received continued support through the Evidence Generation Fund.

On October 16, 2020, the Order of the Ministry of Solidarity and Health in relation to the new experiment on reinforced support for the elderly people (DRAD) was published in the Official Journal of the French Republic. The experiment offers a solution to elderly people with loss of autonomy who wish to stay at home, for whom "classic" support from home services is not more sufficient.

The Belgian Health Care Knowledge Center (KCE) is conducting research towards a faster, substantiated decision on the reimbursement of innovative medical products. The project started in 2019 and is still being conducted.

On October 11, 2020, the French Ministry of Solidarity and Health published an Order in the French Official Journal relating to the coverage of CARMAT TAH by innovation package for the period of 48 months from the date of the beginning of the trial.

At the beginning of August 2020, the French National Authority for Health (HAS) issued a favorable opinion on the inclusion of the genome detection of SARS-CoV-2 by gene amplification on saliva samples to the innovation package (forfait innovation) according to the article L. 165-1-1 of the social security code. The package is approved by the Ministry of Solidarity and Health, after consultation with HAS.

The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) has launched its call for applications representing high impact, evidence-based innovations from September 01, 2020. The application deadline is October 16, 2020. NIA is an award-winning national initiative supported by England’s 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs), which helps dedicated innovations to spread more comprehensively in the healthcare system.

The procedure for applying the ‘subsidy scheme for promising care’ is opened again. The period for applying has started on July 22 and will last till September 22, 2020.

In late June 2020, the Innovation Committee at the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) published funding priorities on its website. For the first time, the decision on the funding priorities was preceded by a consultation process. Healthcare stakeholders who are not members of the Innovation Committee were asked to come up with suggestions for funding topics and criteria.

On June 18, 2020, the Dutch Healthcare Institute (Zorginstituut Nederland, ZIN) announced four medical procedures which received a subsidy under the new innovative payment scheme: FFRct technique in the diagnosis of patients with chest pain; oral esketamine in patients with severe, non-psychotic, treatment-resistant depression; left atrial appendage closure in patients with atrial fibrillation and endolymphatic duct blockage in patients with uncontrollable Meniere's disease.