EUROQOL | About Us

The EuroQol Group first met in 1987 in an effort to develop a standardized non-disease specific instrument to describe and value health-related quality of life. A process based on shared development, local experimentation and lively discussion in the Group resulted in EQ-5D, a measure that generates a single index value for health status with considerable potential for use in health care evaluation. For more information on the history of the EuroQol Group, see here.

EQ-5D was initially developed simultaneously in Dutch, English, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish. It is now widely used around the world and has been translated into most major languages through a closely monitored translation process.

EQ-5D is supported by two organizations, the EuroQol Group Association and the EuroQol Research Foundation.

EuroQol Group Association

The EuroQol Group comprises an international network of multidisciplinary researchers. The original members came from seven centres in the United Kingdom, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. Today, we welcome more than 100 members worldwide.

EuroQol Research Foundation

The EuroQol Research Foundation (“Foundation”) exists to serve the public interest by supporting, instigating and performing scientific research. Our focus is on the development of instruments that describe and value health outside the for-profit model. The Foundation is charged with governing the intellectual property rights that include, but are not limited to, EQ-5D. The Foundation’s aim is to promote the interests of the EuroQol Group Association and to monitor the progress and use of EQ-5D throughout the world. Furthermore, the Foundation funds or co-funds research in the fields related to our Vision and Mission. In the past financial year (2021-2022), the EuroQol Research Foundation funded or co-funded more than 75 scientific research studies, for a total value of 5,451,793 euros.

(Version07FEB2023)