BACKGROUND :

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Mahidol University (MU) was established last July 17, 2015 under the auspice of the International Decisions Support Initiative (iDSI) with the aim to support capacity building in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) for priority setting to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). This collaboration paved the way for the establishment of the “Mahidol University Health Technology Assessment Program” or MUHTA graduate program. This collaboration initiated provision of scholarships to candidates from HTA-related organizations in LMICs such as Vietnam, Philippines, Bangladesh, India, and Thailand. Aside from the collaboration within MU, the program is linked with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program (HITAP) as well as academic institutions in both national and international levels. The objective of MUHTA graduate program is to provide graduates with real-world knowledge and research skills relevant to HTA, especially for priority setting in LMICs using real world examples which address current policy questions concerning resource allocation in LMICs. Therefore, this side meeting is a platform where HTA researchers, academic experts and policy-makers in government agencies can share their real knowledge, perspectives and challenges in achieving UHC in LMICs.