The Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (abbreviated to KCE) is an independent federal research institute in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

that provides multidisciplinary scientific advice to relevant persons and authorities on topics related to health care. More specifically, the KCE carries out research on the organisation and financing of the health system (

health services research Health services research (HSR) became a burgeoning field in North America in the 1960s, when scientific information and policy deliberation began to coalesce. Sometimes also referred to as health systems research or health policy and systems resear ...

), assesses health technologies and drugs (

health technology assessment Health technology assessment (HTA) is a multidisciplinary process that uses systematic and explicit methods to evaluate the properties and effects of a health technology. Health technology is conceived as any intervention (test, device, medici ...

), establishes guidelines for clinical practice and updates them according to the latest scientific evidence (

good clinical practice Good clinical practice (GCP) is an international quality standard, which governments can then transpose into regulations for clinical trials involving human subjects. GCP follows the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements ...

s), and establishes validated methods for research in the field of health care and

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

. Aside from producing scientific reports on these topics, the KCE also maintains a

clinical research Clinical research is a branch of healthcare science that determines the safety and effectiveness ( efficacy) of medications, devices, diagnostic products and treatment regimens intended for human use. These may be used for prevention, treatm ...

programme in which it selects and funds

non-commercial A non-commercial (also spelled noncommercial) activity is an activity that does not, in some sense, involve commerce, at least relative to similar activities that do have a commercial objective or emphasis. For example, advertising-free community ...

clinical trial Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, diet ...

s. Lastly, the KCE critically reviews, analyses and summarizes publications from foreign research institutes and peer reviewed journals that could be of interest to Belgian clinicians and authorities.

Organisation

The KCE is a so-called 'organism of public interest' ( parastatal body) type B according to Belgian public law. It was founded in 2003 and operates under the administrative authority of the federal

minister of Public Health The Minister for Public Health and Women's Health is a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. The minister is not a member of the Scottish Cabinet, however, they report to the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care. ...

of Belgium. Its annual budget is approximately 10,000,000 euros and originates for about 75% from the

National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance The National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (NIHDI) is a federal public body of social security in Belgium. Under the authority of the Belgian federal minister of Social Affairs and Public Health, it is responsible for administering ...

(NIHDI) and for about 25% from the

Federal Public Service Health The FPS Public Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment ( nl, FOD Volksgezondheid, Veiligheid van de Voedselketen en Leefmilieu, french: SPF Santé publique, Sécurité de la Chaîne alimentaire et Environnement, german: FÖD Volksgesundheit, Siche ...

and the Federal Public Service Social Security. Additionally, the KCE disposes over a budget of approximately 10,000,000 euros for its clinical trials programme which originates fully from the NIHDI. It also receives European

subsidies A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...

for its participation in certain international projects. As of 2017, it has an in-house research staff of about 45 researchers, including clinicians,

health economists Health economics is a branch of economics concerned with issues related to efficiency, effectiveness, value and behavior in the production and consumption of health and healthcare. Health economics is important in determining how to improv ...

, human scientists, data analysts and statisticians. The KCE can also rely on a network of external experts and institutions, such as

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

, to carry out studies and research through public tenders and provide external validation of its reports.

References

{{authority control Federal departments and agencies of Belgium 2002 establishments in Belgium Medical and health organisations based in Belgium Research institutes in Belgium Health economics Health policy

Organisation

See also

References