Accelerating Innovations into CarE (AICE) – Market Access

The AICE-Market Access Program (AICE-Market Access) supports Alberta-based emerging health technology companies with up to $600,000 to help generate the evidence needed to accelerate market access and commercialization into care.

On This Page

Program at a Glance

Program Status: Active
Business Area: Health Innovation
Priority Area(s): Supports Alberta-based emerging health technology companies to generate the evidence needed to accelerate market access and adoption into care.

Eligibility

Program Status: Active
Alberta-based: Yes
Organization Type: Small to Medium Enterprise

Overview

AICE-Market Access supports Alberta’s small-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in carrying out real-world implementation projects, feasibility studies or clinical trials of innovative health technologies in partnership with testing sites located anywhere in the world.

Alberta Innovates will contribute up to $600,000 CAD (to a maximum of 75 per cent of the total eligible project costs) to support approved Projects over a maximum term of 24 months.

The program is designed to support later validation and scaling stages for health innovations requiring significant clinical or user evidence before reaching the marketplace and adoption. Click the infographic below to see details of the Health Innovation Client Journey Framework and to assess your fit to the program.

Eligibility

The AICE-Market Access Program is open to:

  • Alberta-based, for-profit, small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with:
    • A significant physical and corporate operational presence in Alberta.
    • Appropriate Alberta ownership.
    • Discernable intent that operational benefits will flow primarily within the province of Alberta.

Projects must include a third party independent clinical/user testing site as a co-applicant.

Consult the program guide for full eligibility criteria.

How To Apply

  1. Self Assess Fit -Review the Program Guide  (posted above)  and Support Resources below to confirm fit to detailed eligibility requirements and program objectives.
  2. Intake Form – Complete the “AICE Intake Form” via SmartSimple, our online application portal.
    Intake forms can be submitted at any time and should be submitted well in advance of the Full Application deadline and no later than 4 weeks before any deadline.
    Please note: You will need to create an account to access our online application portal. If you have any questions about the application process or concerns about your project’s eligibility, feel free to contact Alberta Innovates at any time.
  3. Intake Meeting – Wait for us to schedule an intake meeting with you to ensure program fit and provide support. Applicants who demonstrate appropriate readiness and meet basic eligibility requirements will be invited to apply.
  4. Full Application – Complete the Full Application via our online application portal.  Full Applications are reviewed in multiple cohorts throughout the year. Upcoming application dates are noted below.

Application Deadlines

Intake forms can be submitted at any time, and at least 4 weeks in advance of any posted application deadline.

  • Invited Full Applications:
    • Prior to March 31, 2024 – Full Applications will continue to be accepted on a continual basis up until March 31, 2024.
    • After April 1, 2024 – Full Applications will be accepted and reviewed in batches through out the year.

Applications must be submitted by 4:00 pm (MT) on the following submission dates:

  • April 19, 2024
  • August 16, 2024
  • November 8, 2024

Evaluation Process

All applications are reviewed and evaluated to determine fit with the AICE-Market Access Program objectives and intended outcomes. Alberta Innovates employees and external expert reviewers evaluate applications.

We evaluate submitted applications to the AICE-Market Access Program based on the strength of the market opportunity, competitiveness, advance to market plan, the project plan, and potential economic impact for Alberta.

An Applicant whose application is declined may re-apply after a six-month cooling-off period.

Additional Alberta Innovates Supports and Resources

Entrepreneurial Investments – Alberta Innovates offers a variety of related, high demand entrepreneurial investment programs that are of interest to SMEs. View the Entrepreneurial Investments Team page here.

Technology Development Advisors – provide front-line business coaching and technology development advice to small and medium-size enterprises in technology or knowledge-based industries. View the Technology Development Advisors page here.

 

Partnered Ecosystem Offerings

Supports offered by other organizations in partnership with Alberta Innovates

Alberta Diagnostic Ecosystem Platform for Translation (ADEPT) provides diagnostic innovators with access to expertise, biological samples, clinical data, lab and clinical trial resources, regulatory support, and health economics analysis to enable diagnostic user community connections across Canada and around the world.   View their website here.

NAIT’s Center for Advanced Medical Simulation (CAMS) supports innovators to refine, revise and re-imagine their healthcare product or service. Providing custom simulations and connections to end-users for early customer feedback, usability testing, stress testing of clinical protocols and instructions for use, their team of experts will help expedite your commercialization timelines to get to market faster.  View their website here.

HaloHealth‘s Specialty Matched Physician Advisory Program is a physician angel investor and advisor group  composed of a team of over 390 physicians nationally who have an interest in advising high-potential, early-stage, health-tech startups related to product market fit, clinical feasibility, physician end user feedback and product medical validation. They have already invested in 40 healthcare startups and have had 4 exits. View their website here.

IHE’s Health Economics Supports for SMEs provides health innovators with early health economic research, analysis and modeling to inform market viability, data collection strategies, and to quantify the business/adoption case for payers.  View their website here.

ST Innovations offers a menu of medical device development services and laboratory infrastructure, prototyping equipment, engineering, biological testing, health data analytics, validation expertise and services, as well as access to expertise and services in large animal preclinical testing.  View their website here.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides evidence standards that enable innovators to determine what level of evidence may be required to facilitate adoption of digital health technologies. View their website here.

Health Canada‘s E-Learning Tool is a resource intended to educate stakeholders on premarket regulatory requirements for medical devices in Canada.  View their website here.

 

Support Resources

Contact

Bindi Ferguson

Director, Commercialization (Health Innovation)


Closed Intakes

AICE Market Access - Intake

AICE-Market Access supports Alberta’s small-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in carrying out real-world implementation projects, feasibility studies or clinical trials of innovative health technologies in partnership with testing sites located anywhere in the world.

Closed

Registration closed: November 8, 2024 4:00 pm

Discover More

Related Stories

Advancing Health Research towards a Digital Health Economy

May 17, 2022

AICE Concepts program bolsters personalized health and wellness projects with major investment.