• Finn Børlum Kristensen, Marjukka Mäkelä, Susanna Allgurin Neikter, Nina Rehnqvist, Lise Lund Håheim, Berit Mørland, Ruairidh Milne, Camilla Palmhøj Nielsen, Reinhard Busse, Sun Hae Lee-Robin, Claudia Wild, Mireia Espallargues, Julia Chamova, and European network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA).
• National Board of Health, Copenhagen, Denmark and University of Southern Denmark, Odense C, DK 5000, Denmark. fbk@sst.dk
• Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 2009 Dec 1; 25 Suppl 2: 107-16.

ObjectivesThe European network on Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA) aimed to produce tangible and practical results to be used in the various phases of health technology assessment and to establish a framework and processes to support this. This article presents the background, objectives, and organization of EUnetHTA, which involved a total of sixty-four partner organizations.MethodsEstablishing an effective and sustainable structure for a transnational network involved many managerial, policy, and methodological tools, according to the objective of each task or Work Package. Transparency in organization, financial transactions, and decision making was a key principle in the management of the Project as was the commitment to appropriately involve stakeholders.ResultsEUnetHTA activities resulted in a clear management and governance structure, efficient partnership, and transnational cooperation. The Project developed a model for sustainable continuation of the EUnetHTA Collaboration.ConclusionsThe EUnetHTA Project achieved its goals by producing a suite of practical tools, a strong network, and plans for continuing the work in a sustainable EUnetHTA Collaboration that facilitates and promotes the use of HTA at national and regional levels. Responsiveness to political developments in Europe should be balanced with maintaining a high level of ambition to promote independent, evidence-based information and well-tested tools for best practice based on a strong network of HTA institutions.

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