How can Europe provide timely access to innovative health technologies while protecting affordability, fairness and the sustainability of healthcare systems? The ASCERTAIN project has spent four years developing new approaches to this question. On 21 October 2026, the project will bring its findings, models and open-access tools together at a Final Conference in Brussels under the theme From Evidence to Access: Rethinking Healthcare Decision-Making in Europe.

A shared challenge for European health systems

New medicines, diagnostics and personalised technologies can offer major benefits, particularly for people with serious or rare conditions. Yet evidence at launch may be incomplete, prices may be difficult to justify and reimbursement decisions must be made under uncertainty. Countries often address the same questions separately, with different data, methods and negotiating capacity. The result can be unequal access and pressure on solidarity-based healthcare budgets.

ASCERTAIN – Affordability and Sustainability improvements through new pricing, Cost-Effectiveness and ReimbursemenT models to Appraise iNnovative health technologies – was created to develop more transparent and sustainable approaches. The Horizon Europe project brings together expertise in health economics, health technology assessment, clinical research, patient perspectives and payer decision-making. AIM participates in the consortium, contributing the perspective of not-for-profit healthcare payers and mutuals.

The project is also timely in light of the EU Health Technology Assessment framework, which is increasing cooperation on joint clinical assessments while leaving pricing and reimbursement decisions within national competence. Better shared evidence can reduce duplication, but national authorities still need tools that connect clinical findings to affordability, cost-effectiveness and implementation. ASCERTAIN addresses this space without proposing a single price or reimbursement decision for every system.

From research models to a practical support tool

The project has developed pricing, cost-effectiveness and reimbursement models designed to help decision-makers examine affordability, clinical value and uncertainty more systematically. These models are integrated into an open-access Policy Support Tool intended to make complex methods more usable in real decision contexts. The tool does not replace national institutions or negotiations; it provides a structured environment in which assumptions can be made visible, tested and compared.

At the conference, the tool will be demonstrated through three use cases: personalised cancer medicines, CAR T-cell therapies and Next Generation Sequencing tests for precision oncology. These technologies illustrate different challenges, from very high one-off costs and uncertain long-term outcomes to the organisational consequences of introducing advanced diagnostics. Exploring them side by side can show how pricing, evidence and reimbursement choices interact.

A conference designed for participation

The programme combines keynote presentations, stakeholder panels, demonstrations and interactive workshops. After an opening discussion on access, affordability and the evolving European policy landscape, participants will see the Policy Support Tool in practice. An Experience Hub will offer one-to-one demonstrations, conversations with experts and an opportunity to contribute ideas about the future of sustainable access to innovation.

Parallel afternoon workshops will examine the models from different perspectives. A Policy and HTA Decision Lab will focus on public decision-making; an Industry and Payer Strategy Lab will consider negotiation and implementation; and a Patient Advocacy and Societal Value Lab will explore fairness, patient relevance and wider value. A final reflection panel will discuss opportunities and barriers to using the project’s approaches beyond the research setting.

Why payers and mutuals should take part

For healthcare payers, the conference offers a practical opportunity to examine tools that may support budget-impact analysis, pricing discussions and reimbursement decisions. It will also allow participants to compare how different stakeholders understand value and uncertainty. Such dialogue is essential: a model can be technically sophisticated but still fail if it does not respond to the information needs, legal frameworks and timelines of real institutions.

Mutuals bring a distinct perspective because they are accountable to members and rooted in solidarity. They must support access to effective innovation while safeguarding resources for the full range of care, including prevention, primary care, workforce and long-term services. Transparent assumptions and meaningful patient involvement can help build trust when difficult choices are unavoidable.

Practical information

The ASCERTAIN Final Conference takes place on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, at The Dominican, Rue Léopold/Leopoldstraat 9, 1000 Brussels. Registration opens at 08:30 and the main programme runs from 09:00 to 16:45, followed by a networking reception. An optional pre-conference dinner will be held at the same venue on 20 October from 19:00 to 21:00.

Attendance is free of charge, but registration is required and places are subject to availability. The conference is intended for policymakers, regulators, HTA bodies, payers and insurers, patient representatives, clinicians, researchers and industry. By bringing these perspectives together, ASCERTAIN aims to move the discussion beyond whether Europe should support innovation towards how it can do so transparently, equitably and sustainably.