Strengthening health systems across the globe

Around the world, publicly-funded healthcare systems face a common challenge: ensuring limited resources are allocated to treatments offering the best value for patients and taxpayers. Without robust health technology assessment processes, countries can struggle with inconsistent access to care and inefficient resource allocation. Additionally, overseas regulatory systems that do not reflect current best practices create market access barriers for UK life science companies. This can result in patients missing out on groundbreaking new treatments, while UK pharmaceutical businesses face unnecessary obstacles to growth - undermining both global health outcomes and the UK's economic potential.

Building partnerships for global health and economic growth

During 2024 to 2025, my colleagues and I at NICE International embarked on an ambitious journey through the Department for Business and Trade's Regulatory Partnership for Growth Fund. This recently-launched programme recognises that by helping other countries strengthen their health technology assessment capabilities, we can simultaneously improve global health outcomes and remove barriers that hinder UK economic growth.

The £2.3 million fund unlocks export opportunities worth nearly £5 billion for UK companies over 5 years. For NICE International, this enabled us to work with 11 countries - Brazil, Kenya, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Mongolia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt, Ukraine, and China - tackling healthcare decision-making challenges.

Our approach: evidence-based solutions for complex challenges

At the heart of our work lies a simple but powerful principle: healthcare decision-making should be rigorous, free from bias, and delivered through independent and transparent processes. Drawing on NICE's 25 years of experience, we share our expertise with countries at different stages of their health technology assessment journey.

Our collaborations have focused on several key areas where countries consistently need support. Embedding health technology assessment and associated governance forms the foundation of our work - helping countries establish the methods and processes needed for consistent, evidence-based decision-making. We also focus on other important areas such as stakeholder management, topic prioritisation, pricing and procurement.

Real impact: success stories from around the world

The response from our partner countries has been overwhelmingly positive. Our work with Kenya demonstrates the tangible impact of this collaboration. Through regular virtual meetings and an in-person visit, we shared NICE's experience and best practices on health technology assessment approaches, covering topics tailored to Kenya's specific needs. We also delivered a report to help Kenyan authorities tackle their unique challenges.

Since embarking on this partnership, Kenya has:

established independent committees for health technology assessment
recruited dedicated staff to their health technology assessment team
implemented a training programme to further build capability.

All participating countries have reported using the experiences and knowledge we've shared to make significant advancements in their health technology assessment objectives, demonstrating the value of international collaboration in healthcare improvement.

Looking forward: the Ricardo Fund and ambitious expansion

The success of the Regulatory Partnership for Growth Fund has paved the way for an even more ambitious initiative. As outlined in the government's UK Trade Strategy, the Department for Business and Trade will systematically open and shape priority growth markets by launching the Ricardo Fund. This will make more funding available to trade experts and embassies around the world to remove regulatory barriers for UK businesses trading abroad.

For NICE International, this expansion means maintaining our engagement with 10 original partners while adding 7 new ones: Jordan, the Philippines, Thailand and Caribbean nations.

This work reflects the growing recognition that well-functioning health technology assessment systems benefit everyone, creating a cycle of improved health outcomes and economic opportunity that aligns with both domestic and international priorities.

Your opportunity: join us in shaping global healthcare

If you’re part of an organisation looking to improve health outcomes in your own country, NICE International offers the expertise and support you need. Our experience working across diverse healthcare systems, from mature economies like Brazil to emerging systems in Mongolia, gives us unique insights into what works in different contexts.

We understand that every country's healthcare challenges are unique, which is why our approach is always tailored to local needs while drawing on global best practices. From establishing health technology assessment frameworks from scratch to refining existing processes, we help you build the evidence-based decision-making capabilities that will strengthen your healthcare system, improve patient outcomes, and create sustainable value for your nation.

Ready to explore how NICE International can support your country's healthcare goals? Visit our webpage and complete our enquiry form to start the conversation.

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