This FP-7 funded project addresses how health services research (HSR) can help decision-makers tackle the challenges they face and provide scientific evidence to inform policies and practices. Its aim is to contribute to a refinement of the European agenda of priorities in health services research, tuned to the information needs of health policy-makers. This can contribute to promoting effective interfaces between the research community and policy-makers for the benefit of scientific underpinning of health care policies. Better application of available and identification of new scientific evidence should result in more effective policy measures and health care systems that are both efficient and responsive to the needs of European citizens.