History and structure
The Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Health Technology Assessment (LBI-HTA) was formally founded on March 2006 for the duration of seven years. The budget of the LBI-HTA averages € 900.00 p.a. and is funded by the institutional partners (40%) and the Ludwig Boltzmann Society (60 %).

In line with the research policy of the Ludwig Boltzmann Society, the LBI-HTA focuses on translational research. According to the research programme, strong emphasis is put on applicable short term or medium term results. By setting up partnerships between research-producing and research-applying organisations or institutions, for the constitution and financing of the institute the quick transfer of research results is guaranteed.

The partners define the annual research program in a process of more or less systematic priority setting and committed themselves by becoming "partners" to put the results into practice. The institutional partners benefit from synthesized understanding by gaining research-based arguments that provide them with a rationale independent of interest groups. Because of the direct communication with the decision-maker the results show traceable impact. All projects engage an interdisciplinary team, they are presented and critically reviewed at internal seminars and undergo an external review process.

Partners of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Health Technology Assessment are actors in health care administration (Ministry of Health, Austrian Federation of Social and Health Insurances), responsible bodies of public hospitals (KAGes, TILAK, AUVA) and private universities (UMIT, PMU).

Mission
The LBI-HTA regards itself as an independent entity for scientific decision-making support in the health sector.
• We provide the scientific basis for decisions in favour of an efficient and appropriate use of resources.
• In this process, we adopt a broad socially-relevant view of medical interventions and we are committed to a qualitative concept of progress.
• We see ourselves as an innovative and creative interdisciplinary think tank that has also included the further development of HTA methodology within its objectives.
• We attach importance to the traceability of our results: systematic work and the disclosure of our methods makes our results open to scrutiny.
• We work at a distance to interest groups and refuse to fall within their influence, be they fund providers or market suppliers.
• Intensive international networking allows us to avoid redundancies and to remain at the leading edge of knowledge.

Our mission statement can be summarised as followed:
• Independance and distance to interest groups
• Broad socially-relevant view
• Qualitative concept of progress
• Interdisciplinary think tank
• Traceability
• Internationality

Dissemination activities
Reports are disseminated free-of-charge via the LBI-HTA website and repository, through articles in reviewed and non-reviewed journals as well as disseminated in the specific (medical) interest groups. The LBI-HTA puts paramount importance on public awareness of the policy instrument HTA: a monthly newsletter (900 recipients), monthly public seminars (attended regularly by 20-30 "mediators) and verbal presence at the main national health care congresses, lectures in professional trainings are part of a reflected PR-program.

Published, planned & ongoing projects:
http://hta.lbg.ac.at/en/content.php?iMenuID=94
http://hta.lbg.ac.at/media/pdf/web_LBI-HTA-Publikationen_Englisch_09.09.2009.pdf

Repository (free access & download):
http://eprints.hta.lbg.ac.at/

Future thematic focus
• Cardio-vascular Diseases
• Backpain and Interventions
• Horizon Scanning in Oncology
• Tissue Engineering
• Ethics and Ressource allocation
• Psychiatry
• Vaccines