Join us in providing support for the implementation of the EU Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Regulation in the three EU member states through collaborative research.

Your job
In January 2025, the EU Health Technology Assessment Regulation (HTAR) will come into effect, promoting collaboration among EU countries in evaluating medicines and medical technologies. However, three EU member states are seeking support to effectively implement HTAR. This project aims to assist these countries by organizing joint activities focused on translating HTAR requirements into national processes, enhancing governance in HTA institutions, and building capacity. While addressing common needs, the project will also cater to the unique requirements of each country. Ultimately, it seeks to empower the countries with the necessary institutional and human resources to successfully implement HTAR and engage in EU processes.

You will be on the frontline of providing support to three EU member states. Your work will focus on:

• mapping of current HTA practices and guidelines for medicinal products in the three participating countries;
• mapping of international best practices regarding HTA procedures and guidelines within comparable EU member states;
• help organising workshops, site visits, study visits and/or job shadowing exercises to support capacity building;
• contribute to the development of guidelines for HTA procedures and processes to adopt in the three participating countries.

The methods you will apply to study these questions include desk research of existing documents and guidelines, and qualitative interviews with national and international experts and stakeholders.

This position is part of two-year project funded by the European Commission, and is a collaboration between SEO Amsterdam Economics, the Institute for Medical Technology Assessment (iMTA), the Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM), and Utrecht University (UU). You will work closely with other colleagues (including PhD candidates) at UU and other consortium members. Moreover, your work will entail close contact with stakeholders from the three participating countries and international experts.

We are looking for a candidate who meets the following criteria:

• an MSc in pharmaceutical or (bio)medical sciences, health economics and/or health technology assessment, epidemiology, or another relevant field;
• the ability and enthusiasm to learn qualitative methods within Health Technology Assessment;
• an interest in multi-stakeholder, cross-country collaborative team work in a consortium;
• the ability to work independently, be self-reflective, and take initiative and responsibility for your parts of the projects.
• good oral and written communication skills in English are essential to ensure effective collaboration with the three countries.

We consider it a plus if you have experience with:

• Health Technology Assessment;
• working internationally with different types of stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, such as healthcare decision-makers from public institutes or governments;
• qualitative data analysis (e.g. NVivo).

We offer:

• a position for 1.5 years starting February or March 2025;
• a full-time gross salary between €3,345 and €3,670 in the first year and between €3,502 and €3,858 in the second half year of employment in scale 10 of the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities (CAO NU);
• 8% holiday bonus and 8.3% end-of-year bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave, and flexible employment conditions based on the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

Universiteit Utrecht

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.

Working at the Faculty of Science means bringing together inspiring people across disciplines and with a variety of perspectives and backgrounds. The Faculty has six departments: Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Information & Computing Sciences, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Together, we work on excellent research and inspiring education. We do so, driven by curiosity and supported by outstanding infrastructure. Visit us on LinkedIn and discover how you can become part of our community.

You will be employed within the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Clinical Pharmacology, one of the five divisions of the Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS). This is the research institute of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Utrecht University. The division comprises a multidisciplinary team of young, internationally oriented-researchers. The research programme is directed at several epidemiological, therapeutic, and policy aspects of chronic drug use, focusing on advanced, affordable biomolecular and cellular therapies. This PhD position falls under the Centre for Pharmaceutical Policy & Regulation (one of the three centres of the division). The centre aims to develop, assess, and apply innovative methods in pharmaceutical policy, drug regulatory science, and health technology assessment (HTA). For this, an integrated approach to the drug life cycle and the context in which medicines are developed, assessed, and used is taken. Necessary research spearheaded by the centre includes questions on authorisation, access to, and affordability of medicines. One of the unique features of the centre is that it works closely with experts from the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board (MEB), the Dutch National Health Care Institute (ZIN), and the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). The WHO Collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical Policy and Regulation is embedded in the centre, which focuses on global access to medicines in pharmaceutical systems—the center partners with the Regulatory Science Network Netherlands (RSNN) and the Academic Research Network HTA.

For more information, please contact Professor Wim G. Goettsch at w.g.goettsch@uu.nl.

Do you have a question about the application procedure? Please send an email to science.recruitment@uu.nl.