In Austria research in HTA has been conducted since the 1990s. In the beginning, the Institute of Technology Assessment at the Austrian Academy of Sciences had a leadership role. Since the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for HTA was established in 2006, importance of HTA research has increased considerably. Research in HTA aims at supporting an adequate and efficient use of health care resources. Its objectives are providing independent information for decision makers, supporting the health care system in improving its structures, processes and outcomes as well as improving population health in Austria. For legitimizing further research resources and for prioritizing future HTA research and guaranteeing value of future research, HTA research needs itself to undergo evaluation.

The first part of this project aims at identifying adequate methods for measuring the impact of HTA in Austria.

On the basis of the existing literature both a definition of the term impact as well as appropriate indicators and instruments for measuring impact are presented. A systematic literature research identified 19 relevant articles to update an existing review.

For further research of HTA-impact in Austria a tool kit with appropriate instruments and an evaluation design was developed. The design considers different categories of impact such as: awareness, acceptance, policy process, policy decision, practice, final outcomes and “enlightenment “. In a first step both target groups on different levels (micro-, meso-, macrolevel) and the expected impact should be identified. Qualitative and quantitative research methods which were identified in the literature will be combined to evaluate the impact from HTA empirically. This should, at the same time guarantee validity.