On 4 November 2024, ASSESS DHT proudly hosted a joint Sustainability Roundtable, a milestone event dedicated to fostering dialogue on sustaining the innovative approaches and tools the projects are developing and that are essential for the future of health technology assessment (HTA) for digital health technologies (DHT). Sister project EDiHTA, which is working towards the same goals, was also invited to present alongside ASSESS DHT the progress made so far, and the plans of the two projects to achieve better harmonisation of HTA for DHT across Europe . 

Overall, the roundtable brought together over 30 experts from HTA bodies from 13 countries, as well as 3 supra-national organisations.

The event commenced with opening remarks from Claudia Wild (Austrian Institute for Health Technology Assessment GmbH, AIHTA), Juan Carlos Rejon-Parrilla (Andalusian HTA Unit (AETSA), within the Fundación Progreso y Salud) and Emmanouil Tsiasiotis (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore). Their insights set the stage for vibrant discussions that followed throughout the day.

Participants engaged in three dynamic pitch sessions, focusing on key topics:

• Taxonomy (ASSESS DHT & EDiHTA):  The progress towards developing a standardised classifications for digital health technologies.
• Lifecycle Approach (ASSESS DHT): Addressing evidence generation and evaluation across the technology lifecycle.
• Framework and Toolkit (EDiHTA): Developing practical tools for streamlined assessment processes.

The pitch sessions were followed by an interactive discussion segment, a Q&A session, and a thoughtful concluding overview led by Claudia Wild. This collaborative atmosphere allowed participants to share perspectives, and ask critical questions.

The success of the roundtable was made possible by the active participation of all attendees and the invaluable collaboration between the projects ASSESS DHT and EDiHTA.