History and structure
The National Horizon Scanning Centre (NHSC), established in April 1998, is funded by the Research and is part of the National Institute for Health Research which is funded by the Department of Health for England. The Centre is based in the Public Health, Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit at the University of Birmingham.

Mission
The National Horizon Scanning Centre aims to provide advance notice to the Department of Health, national policy makers and the wider National Health Service of new and emerging technologies (including changing applications and uses of existing technologies) that need urgent evaluation, consideration of clinical and cost impact or modification of clinical guidelines or guidance.

How NHSC works
The NHSC undertakes a wide ranging identification process including contacting primary sources including industry; scanning secondary sources such as the media and the Internet; liaison with experts, expert groups, and tertiary sources such as EuroScan and other horizon scanners. Once identified, new and emerging technologies pass through a multi-stage filtration and selection process to identify those that would benefit from further evaluation. After collection of relevant information, an estimate of a technology's potential for impact is made with regard to health benefit and service impact.

The NHSC produces technology briefings for the Department of Health, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), and for other evaluation and national policy-making bodies including the Centre for Evidence-Based Purchasing and the National Steering Committee.

The NHSC is host to the Secretariat of EuroScan: The European Information Network on New and Changing Health Technologies.

Dissemination activities
The NHSC undertakes to place all our technology briefings onto our website and on the EuroScan and HTA-databases.

Current projects
The list of products under investigation by the NHSC is constantly changing. A searchable list of technology briefings can be found on the HTA database and on our website at: http://pcpoh.bham.ac.uk/publichealth/horizon/technology.htm

Future plans
The NHSC will continue to provide the Department of Health and an increasing number of national policy-making bodies with intelligence on new and emerging health technologies.