The European Network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA) Joint Action 3 (JA3) aimed to develop a sustainable European model for scientific and technical collaboration on HTA. It succeeded EUnetHTA JA2, which focused on strengthening practical applications of approaches and tools in the European HTA collaboration. Compared to JA2, several changes in procedures and processes were undertaken throughout JA3 in order to improve the different steps in joint HTA production.

Findings and identified challenges regarding the assessment production processes from JA2 were considered as a basis. In JA3, vast majority of structured and informal feedback was gathered from the assessment teams and project managers via feedback surveys and meetings. Only limited informal feedback from stakeholders (such as patients, health care professionals, and health technology developers) that were involved in EUnetHTA assessments was collected. To this end, experiences were documented and recommendations for a future production process were developed.

During the course of JA3, the joint production resulted in 16 pharmaceutical assessments and 27 assessments of other technologies. The latter included medical devices, diagnostics, interventions, and screening. Due to the different context of pharmaceuticals and other technologies, some technology-specific changes needed to be made in their production process. However, the majority of implemented changes were made for both types of technologies to ensure maximum possible alignment in processes. The implemented changes affected several steps in the production process as well as the involvement of stakeholders in EUnetHTA assessments. The production and related project management of assessments was fine-tuned and resulted in clearer, standardized, and comprehensible processes that facilitated transparency and inclusiveness.

The procedural changes led to further standardization and elaboration of assessment production processes in preparation for a future European HTA system under the EU HTA Regulation. However, some methodological challenges remained to be tackled further in the currently ongoing EUnetHTA 21 service contract.