NIHR Innovation Observatory

The NIHR Innovation Observatory aims to supply timely information to key policy- and decision-makers and research funders within the English NHS about emerging health technologies that may have a significant impact on patients or the provision of health services in the near future. See www.io.nihr.ac.uk

The NIHR Innovation Observatory’s principal technology-based outputs are technology briefings and alerts that provide information on a single technology. These can all be found on our website and new technology briefings are added monthly covering a wide range of therapy areas.

In addition the Innovation Observatory produces horizon scanning reviews and pipeline analysis reports. These aim to identify all new and emerging health technologies being developed within a specified time-frame, in a technology area, across a disease area or at a specific point on a patient pathway. The reviews can incorporate patient, expert and company feedback on the technologies that are.

Horizon scanning reviews below that were produced before 2017 were written by the previous horizon scanning centre that was based at Birmingham University and were reviewed by an advisory group and an internal team at Birmingham University (including a medical advisor) before they were published. The advisory group was involved throughout the development of the review and depending on the subject area was comprised of clinical experts, technology experts and patients representatives.

All reviews and pipeline analysis reports can be found at the NIHR Innovation Observatory’s website.