2. INDUSTRIAL IMPACT
2.1. Impact on Industry
MATCH will adopt a two-pronged approach, working with its Research Partners and the more strategic companies to develop, embed and disseminate new decision-making methods. To this extent, it will seek to be more proactive in identifying Applied Research Projects (i.e. MATCH ‘Project 5’activity) that has methodological merit as well as industrial benefit.
MATCH will cluster its Network Partners to embed more basic health economics and methods to capture user needs into their new product development cycles, and focus on getting known methodologies into a form where they can be readily applied by SMEs. This will involve problem workshops and some learning-by-doing attempts to apply simple health economics to SME products to see how and where these methods can best make an impact and then how to embed the lessons learnt into useful Guides.
Of specific interest is the question of how a manufacturer should engage with the NHS to get acceptance of its new technology (having acquired adequate evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness). This is particularly significant if its technology is not important enough to warrant appraisal by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), if it does not have its own Health Related Group (HRG) reimbursement, or if it has not been assessed by the Centre for Evidence based Procurement (CEP), which was the Device Evaluation Service (DES). Process proposals will be developed to this end.
Further, as a means of monitoring the effects of HITF in this area in the longer term, qualitative research into the attitudes of budget managers and board members in NHS Trusts and the independent sector towards new technology, could be of value.
Further, as a means of monitoring the effects of HITF in this area in the longer term, qualitative research into the attitudes of budget managers and board members in NHS Trusts and the independent sector towards new technology, could be of value.
2.2. A paradigm change in user involvement
The industrial challenge is to produce guides on available methods and then study how this information would be used by companies. MATCH aims to make it much easier for companies to build a user perspective into their design process. This might require some models of value to enable companies to make a better internal economic case (greater profitability through cost reduction, better market penetration or a price premium) for developing the in-house expertise to apply such methods.
While the original grant includes a contribution towards industrial engagement, this research and development activity will be increasingly expected to fund itself, principally through extending the Research and Network Partnerships base. It is expected that with stronger links at the policy level, MATCH will be even more attractive to companies, and that signing them up will become commensurately easier. The policy will be to sign new companies up as Network Partners and then to encourage the larger ones to upgrade and become Research Partners. Other funding such as EPSRC industrial CASE/CAST awards, additional industrial funding, or in kind contributions will be used to supplement this research.
As well as RAE-compliant papers (see above) the results will be tested through user acceptance measures, and in the industrial recognition and uptake of user needs methodologies.