Health Technology Wales to partner with Wales COVID-19 Evidence Centre

Health Technology Wales (HTW) has been named as a Collaborating Partner in the Wales COVID-19 Evidence Centre.

It means that the national Health Technology Assessment (HTA) body will provide research expertise and input to the brand-new £3m centre for COVID-19 topics.

“We’re looking forward to collaborating with the Wales COVID-19 Evidence Centre, especially as the need for rigorous research is as urgent as ever. Our team has enabled evidence-informed and time-critical decision making since the start of the pandemic. Important knowledge has already been gained, but there’s lots still to learn as we continue this essential role and look to improve outcomes for the people and services affected by COVID-19,” said Dr Susan Myles, Director of Health Technology Wales.

Professor Adrian Edwards, who was appointed Director of the new Wales COVID-19 Evidence Centre in January, said: “Research matters like never before – it is central to policy and practice in the pandemic. For example, we need to understand the impact of the pandemic on the health of communities and people in Wales and on the health and care delivery systems in Wales. We are delighted to include HTW in this vital work on the management, recovery and regeneration phases from the pandemic.”

The Wales COVID-19 Evidence Centre has been created on behalf of the Welsh Government and is based at Cardiff University. Its key purpose is to make use of UK-wide and international research findings to supporting decision making by the Welsh Government and NHS Wales.

Collaboration with HTW, and several other national and international partners, will help dedicated researchers at the Wales COVID-19 Evidence Centre to address national priorities, such as the long-term effects of the pandemic.

HTW has already repurposed its diverse skillset to support the response to the pandemic, synthesising the emerging evidence and producing several new outputs. This included input to a number of Welsh Government committees and task forces, co-authoring three pan-European collaborative reviews and providing scientific advice to industry.

Click here to learn more about HTW’s work related to COVID-19 on our dedicated webpage.