5 June 2013
Innovation in health: New $5m research partnership
A new health research partnership worth $5 million/year was recently launched to support research that will provide
evidence about the cost effectiveness of new and existing health technologies.
The Health Innovation Partnership, between the National Health Committee (NHC) and the Health Research Council of New
Zealand (HRC), seeks to gather evidence to further improve the health and quality of life of New Zealanders while
supporting cost effectiveness within the health sector. Research supported by the partnership will generate evidence
focusing on effective health technologies and pathways for treatment. The research will also identify how new
technologies can help put knowledge into action to provide more effective health services.
“We’re really excited by the chance to work with the HRC in a new partnership that will support robust NHC
recommendations. This fund will also allow us to bridge the gap between research and the practising clinician,” says
Anne Kolbe, Chair of the NHC.
Two calls for research have been released under this partnership. The first seeks to support a research project that
will help the NHC develop recommendations on the use of renal nerve ablation, a promising therapeutic approach for
hard-to-manage hypertension. The second will support research on the use of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR)
testing to optimise treatment choices for patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
“High quality research-derived evidence is critical for the New Zealand health sector, as it continues to improve its
effectiveness and efficiency,” says HRC Chief Executive, Dr Robin Olds.
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About the Health Innovation Partnership (HIP)
The Health Innovation Partnership (HIP), has been created between the HRC and the NHC to support a coordinated
investment in translational research for health and disability related technologies. It is anticipated that research
supported through this partnership will gather evidence to inform the NHC’s recommendations regarding the cost
effectiveness and prioritisation of new and existing technologies. Research will also identify the conditions and/or
knowledge translation strategies that would be needed to support implementation of findings and ways to restructure
existing investment to optimise patient outcomes.
The HIP is co-funded by the HRC ($2 million) and the NHC ($3 million) to give a combined budget for funding of $5
million, which is overseen by a steering committee. The steering committee was formed in January 2013 and consists of
six members; three from the HRC and three from the NHC. Half of the steering committees are practicing clinicians with
the balance from healthcare research and management.
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