CCOHTA Launches HTA Capacity Building Grants Program

January 13, 2004

OTTAWA — CCOHTA has established a new grant program to enhance the capacity of the Canadian health care system to undertake, understand and apply health technology assessments and their results, CCOHTA President Dr. Jill M. Sanders announced today.

Provincially based non-profit organizations with an established HTA capability, including health care organizations, health research organizations and educational institutions, are eligible to receive HTA Capacity Building grants up to $100,000.

“Our new grants program, coming on top of the additional funding for external research contracts announced last month, will strengthen HTA capacity across Canada and ensure HTA organizations are better equipped to deliver timely, relevant information that meets the needs of decision-makers,” said Sanders.

The grants will support projects, pilot programs, symposiums and other initiatives in four streams:
·Improvements to or refinements of HTA methodologies

• Knowledge transfer processes, methods and tools for HTA
• Educational and training initiatives designed to increase the expertise available in Canada to perform and understand HTA
• Graduate student support grants

Program and application details are available from CCOHTA’s web site at www.ccohta.ca. Grant applications and proposals should be submitted by Monday, February 9, 2004. Funding will be provided prior to March 31, 2004 and all funded work must be completed by March 31, 2005.

The Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment is an independent not-for-profit organization that provides unbiased, reliable information about health technologies. CCOHTA delivers a health technology assessment program and the Common Drug Review. CCOHTA is funded by the Canadian federal, provincial and territorial governments.

For further information contact Kirk Fergusson: 613 226-2553 ext. 276