EVENTS

21. October 2026

ASCERTAIN Final Conference

From Evidence to Access: Rethinking Healthcare Decision-Making in Europe

As the ASCERTAIN project comes to a close, we are pleased to invite you to our Final Conference. The event will bring together policymakers, HTA bodies, payers, patient representatives, industry, researchers, and healthcare professionals to explore new approaches to improving access to innovative health technologies in Europe.

Throughout the day, participants will discover ASCERTAIN’s novel pricing, cost-effectiveness, and reimbursement models, developed to support more transparent, evidence-based, and sustainable healthcare decision-making. These approaches will be showcased through the project’s three healthcare use cases – personalised cancer medicines, CAR T-cell therapies, and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) tests for precision oncology – as well as the open-access Policy Support Tool that integrates these models into a practical decision-support environment.

Held at The Dominican in Brussels, the conference will provide a forum for dialogue, collaboration, and reflection on the future of equitable access, affordability, and healthcare innovation in Europe. Attendance at the conference is free of charge.

Who should join?

The conference is aimed at payers and insurance organisations, policymakers and regulators, industry representatives, patient representatives, researchers and academics, and clinicians interested in the future of healthcare decision-making and sustainable access to innovation in Europe.

Why attend? 

Explore ASCERTAIN’s key findings, policy recommendations, and open-access tools, including the ASCERTAIN Policy Support Tool. Join experts and stakeholders to discuss the future of affordability, access, and sustainability in European healthcare systems.

  • Payers & Insurance: Explore how ASCERTAIN’s pricing, reimbursement, and cost-effectiveness models can support sustainable healthcare decision-making and budget impact assessments. Gain practical insights into affordability, negotiation processes, and value assessment for innovative health technologies.
  • Policy & Regulation: Learn how ASCERTAIN’s tools can support more evidence-based, transparent, and sustainable healthcare policy-making across Europe. Discuss future approaches to affordability, patient access, and European cooperation in healthcare decision-making.
  • Industry: Gain insights into pricing, reimbursement, and evidence-generation models that may support more transparent and predictable market access pathways. Explore how negotiation parameters, uncertainty, and stakeholder expectations influence future access decisions.
  • Patient Representatives: Join discussions on equitable access, affordability, transparency, and patient-centered healthcare decision-making. Explore how ASCERTAIN aims to improve fairness and sustainability in access to innovative health technologies.
  • Clinicians: Discuss the challenges surrounding access to innovative therapies, reimbursement, and sustainable healthcare systems. Explore future approaches to balancing innovation, affordability, and clinical value in Europe.
  • Research & Academia: Exchange perspectives on innovative methodologies, health technology assessment, pricing, reimbursement, and evidence generation. Explore ASCERTAIN’s integrated framework and discuss future research and policy applications.

Programme

The programme includes keynote presentations, stakeholder panels, interactive workshops, and hands-on demonstrations of the ASCERTAIN Policy Support Tool. Dedicated breakout sessions and interactive activities will explore future policy pathways, reimbursement models, stakeholder perspectives, and equitable access to innovation. Networking opportunities throughout the day will encourage dialogue and collaboration across stakeholder groups. Please note that the agenda is preliminary and will be continuously updated as the programme develops.

PDF version of the programme.

08:30 – 09:00 | Registration & Welcome Coffee

  • Participant registration
  • Informal networking and arrival coffee

09:00 – 10:30 | Opening Session: Setting the Scene

  • Welcome and event introduction
  • Keynote on affordability, access, and the evolving European HTA and policy landscape
  • Introduction to ASCERTAIN’s framework and its novel pricing, cost-effectiveness, and
    reimbursement models for innovative health technologies
  • Stakeholder panel: perspectives from patients, policymakers, payers, and industry

10:30 – 11:00 | Coffee Break & Networking

  • Refreshments and informal discussions

11:00 – 12:00 | ASCERTAIN Policy Support Tool: Models in Practice

  • Demonstration of the Policy Support Tool integrating pricing, cost-effectiveness, and
    reimbursement models
  • Application in three clinical use cases:
    • Personalised cancer medicines
    • CAR T-cell therapies
    • Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) tests for precision oncology
  • Persona-based walkthroughs using real healthcare decision-making scenarios

12:00 – 13:00 | Interactive ASCERTAIN Experience Hub

  • One-on-one demonstrations of the Policy Support Tool with consortium experts
  • “Meet the expert” discussion area
  • Future of Healthcare Wall: How can Europe ensure sustainable and equitable access to
    innovative health technologies over the next decade?

13:00 – 14:00 | Lunch Break

  • Networking lunch

14:00 – 15:30 | Parallel Stakeholder Workshops

Applying ASCERTAIN’s pricing, cost-effectiveness, and reimbursement models to real-world
decision-making scenarios

  • Policy & HTA Decision Lab
  • Industry & Payer Strategy Lab
  • Patient Advocacy & Societal Value Lab

15:30 – 15:45 | Coffee Break

  • Refreshments and networking

15:45 – 16:30 | Final Stakeholder Reflection Panel

  • Reflections on ASCERTAIN’s pricing, cost-effectiveness and reimbursement models,
    Policy Support Tool, and their potential for real-world adoption
  • Discussion on adoption opportunities and implementation barriers
  • Stakeholder perspectives on future relevance

16:30 – 16:45 | Closing Remarks & Future Outlook

  • Consortium vision beyond the project
  • Sustainability, partnerships, and future opportunities
  • Next steps for the ASCERTAIN ecosystem

16:45 – 17:30 | Reception Drinks & Networking

  • Informal closing reception
  • Continued stakeholder exchange and networking

Speakers

Carin Uyl-de Groot

Carin is Professor of Health Technology Assessment at Erasmus University Rotterdam and Director of the institute for Medical Technology Assessment (iMTA) in the Netherlands. She is the project lead of ASCERTAIN and has extensive experience in health technology assessment, health economics, and cancer research. Her work focuses on cost-effectiveness, outcomes research, pricing, reimbursement, and implementation studies, particularly in oncology. She has served in leading roles within international organisations and conferences, including ISPOR and ESMO, and has been a member of the Dutch Health Council since 2015. In addition, she has contributed to the development of clinical practice guidelines and leads several cancer registries and outcomes studies.

More information about confirmed speakers will be announced soon.

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Event location

The Dominican

Rue Léopold / Leopoldstraat 9
1000 Brussels, Belgium

Visit the hotel website here.

If you would like to benefit from a preferential hotel rate, please Marcel Langone Marques for further information via e-mail: ln.rue@seuqramenognal.lecram 

Photo: thedominican.be

Booking

Attendance at the conference is free of charge.