HTA Clinical Trials expands

News release from the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment

21 August 2008

The HTA programme’s successful researcher-led funding stream has extended its remit to become the HTA Open Call, enabling researchers to submit evaluation studies falling within the remit of the HTA programme. This includes feasibility, pilot studies and proposals for evidence synthesis as well as proposals for clinical trials.

The programme’s researcher-led funding stream, was launched in 2006 in support of the National R&D Strategy ‘Best Research for Best Health’ to commission clinical trials assessing the effectiveness of technologies within the NHS, with a focus on clinical decision-making.

The expansion of the researcher-led funding stream to the HTA Open Call will provide researchers with more opportunities to submit applications to the HTA programme, in turn leading to an increase in the number of projects funded and expanding the evidence base. The format of the funding stream will not change with researchers being invited to submit proposals on topics proposed by them on an ongoing basis.

The next deadline for applications is Tuesday 21 October 2008. The outline proposal form, commissioning brief and guidance notes are available on the funding pages of the website visit www.hta.ac.uk/funding/clinicaltrials

Notes for editors


  1. The HTA programme is a programme of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and produces high quality research information about the effectiveness, costs, and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage and provide care in the NHS. It is the largest of the NIHR programmes and publishes the results of its research in the Health Technology Assessment journal, with more than 400 issues published to date. The journal’s 2007 Impact Factor (3.87) ranked it in the top 10 per cent of medical and health-related journals. All issues are available for download free of charge from the website, www.hta.ac.uk The HTA programme is coordinated by the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment (NCCHTA), based at the University of Southampton.
  2. The National Institute for Health Research provides the framework through which the research staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and managed as a national research facility.  The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class research funded by the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient care, education and training.  Its aim is to support outstanding individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading edge research focused on the needs of patients. www.nihr.ac.uk

Contact details

Naomi Stockley, Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 595 646, Email: ns5@soton.ac.uk

Helen Nikandrou, Assistant Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 595 584, Email: h.nikandrou@soton.ac.uk

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