Robotic surgery

In April 2026, two HTA agencies working under the Spanish Network of HTA Agencies (RedETS) released several New and Emerging Health Technology Fact Sheets in cardiovascular, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, e-health, in-vitro diagnostics, men’s health, obstetrics and gynecology, peripheral vascular, robotic surgery and some other fields. The purpose of the Fact Sheets is to inform the prioritization of new and emerging technologies for evaluation by RedETS.

In March 2026, the Galician Agency for Health Technology Assessment (Avalia-t) is working on several HTAs, including in cardiovascular, dermatology, e-health, gastrointestinal, interventional radiology, robotic surgery, in-vitro diagnostics, peripheral vascular, neurology and neurosurgery, neuromodulation, and some other fields.

On February 4, 2026, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England published the National Cancer Plan for England, setting out a decade-long, technology-enabled transformation of cancer services, with substantial commitments to diagnostics, AI, genomics, robotic surgery, digital tools, and innovation-driven care pathways. The key ambition is that, by 2035, three out of four people diagnosed with cancer will be cancer-free, or living well with cancer after five years.

On January 1, 2026, the specifications of the call for projects "Support for disruptive innovations in the implantable medical devices and surgical robotics sector" were approved. This initiative, part of the France 2030 investment plan, aims to support research and development projects targeting implantable medical devices and next-generation surgical robots.

In November 2025, the HTA body of Tuscany Regional Healthcare published six rapid HTA reports (five new assessments and one reassessment) on medical devices in the cardiovascular, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, dermatology and surgical fields.

As of October 2025, the Scottish Health Technologies Group is working on health technology assessments in several areas, including diagnostic imaging, e-health, endoscopy, ENT, in-vitro diagnostics, neurology, orthopedics, and robotic surgery procedures.

In the third quarter of 2025, the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System (AOTMiT) initiated six Med Tech-related assessments in diagnostic imaging, endocrine, in-vitro diagnostics, nephrology and urology, and robotic surgery fields.

On September 6, 2025, the specifications of the call for projects "Third places for MedTech experimentation" were approved. This initiative is part of the France 2030 investment plan and aims to fund the creation of collaborative testing hubs within healthcare facilities to accelerate the development and market access of innovative medical devices, with a specific focus on surgical robotics and implantable medical devices.

At the end of July 2025, the Ministry of Health published the first report within the national HTA program for medical devices. The program was established in 2017; however, it became fully functional only in late 2023, and the first assessment was launched in 2024 concerning robotic surgery in general (gastrointestinal) surgery, gynecology, and urology areas.

On July 9, 2025, the NHS Cancer Programme granted £14.4 million to seven projects through the third Innovation Open Call. The projects aimed to fast-track the implementation of proven, late-stage innovations for the early detection and diagnosis of cancer.

On June 30, 2025, the document "Changes and innovations in the 2026 LKF model" (Änderungen und Neuerungen in den LKF-Modellen 2026) was published. The document summarizes the most significant changes and innovations in the LKF model for inpatient and outpatient care. The procedure codes expected to be introduced in 2026 mainly concern e-health, endoscopy, interventional radiology, orthopedics, pulmonology, and robotic fields.

On July 3, 2025, the UK Government published the 10 Year Health Plan for England as part of its mission to build a health service fit for the future. It sets out how the government will reinvent the NHS through three radical shifts - hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention. This transition will be supported by a new NHS operating model, improved transparency of care quality, a redesigned workforce model, innovation to power transformation, and a new financial foundation. Five transformative technologies will drive reform: data, AI, genomics, wearables, and robotics. Other MedTech-related initiatives include expanding NICE's technology appraisals to devices, diagnostics, and digital products and implementing the 'Innovator passport'.