Alberta Lighthouse Initiative

Overview

The Government of Alberta (GoA), Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. (NNCI) and Alberta Innovates (AI) have partnered to accelerate community-led innovation focused on improving prevention, early detection and management of cardiometabolic conditions, while improving health outcomes and reducing pressure on Alberta’s healthcare system. This partnership has established the Alberta Lighthouse Initiative.

The Alberta Lighthouse Initiative is a competition-based program open to Alberta-based Health Service Delivery Partners (HSDPs) advancing innovative care models across Alberta’s health ecosystem.

Selected HSDPs will have the opportunity to collaborate with an Innovation Solution Provider (ISP) to implement and rigorously evaluate innovative care models, aligned with the program’s Innovation Challenges, for up to 24 months. These projects are designed not only to improve patient and system outcomes locally, but to generate the evidence, insights, and pathways required to support adoption and broader scale and spread across Alberta.

Cardiometabolic conditions considered for this initiative include type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

Innovation Challenges

Challenge Statement #1
How might we enable earlier, equitable detection and risk stratification for cardiometabolic conditions including type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis so that Albertans have better health outcomes?

Challenge Statement #2
How might we make it easier for Albertans to access practical, culturally relevant prevention supports that help reduce everyday barriers to cardiometabolic health including type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis?

Funding

$500,000 CAD per project.
Term: Up to 24 months

Key Dates

Deadline to Submit a Health Service Delivery Partner Expression of Interest: June 29, 2026

Refer to the Alberta Lighthouse Initiative Program Guide for additional key dates and detailed program information.

Eligibility

Applicant Requirements

The Alberta Lighthouse Initiative is open to eligible Health Service Delivery Partners (HSDPs) that meet the following criteria:

Be based in Alberta and deliver chronic disease care services to Albertans.
Demonstrate a data-informed care need aligned with at least one of the Alberta Lighthouse Initiative challenge statements.
Be willing to address the identified challenge through the implementation of a health solution provided by a high-potential Innovation Solution Provider (ISP).
Have the capacity to serve as a real-world implementation site, including deploying the proposed solution and leading an implementation to adoption study to support the development and evaluation of an innovative care model.
Demonstrate organizational readiness, including appropriate leadership support, clinical engagement, and operational capacity to execute the proposed project.
Be authorized to undertake the proposed project and enter into a grant agreement with Alberta Innovates under standard terms and conditions.

Refer to the Alberta Lighthouse Initiative Program Guide for more detailed information on eligible applicant types.

Project Eligibility (at full proposal stage)

To qualify for funding, all proposed projects must:

Align with and address one of the program’s Innovation Challenge Statements issued by the Government of Alberta, Novo Nordisk Canada Inc., and Alberta Innovates.
Demonstrate the potential to support the development and implementation of innovative care models.
Implement a health innovation with a clear path to adoption provided by a selected Innovation Solution Provider (ISP); where applicable, technologies must meet a minimum of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7.
Be supported by early evidence of effectiveness and end-user acceptability.
Include clearly defined, measurable milestones and deliverables, with staged “go / no-go” decision points.
Include a robust evaluation plan that assesses health outcomes, economic impact, and implementation feasibility.
Demonstrate the ability to access, collect, and share relevant data required to support project evaluation, in alignment with applicable privacy and data governance requirements.
Commit to program evaluation activities, including performance measurement, reporting, and knowledge mobilization.
Demonstrate a clear path to adoption with potential to scale and spread beyond the initial implementation site/s.
Be completed within a maximum term of 24 months.
Comply with any additional criteria established by Alberta Innovates from time to time.

How To Apply

Complete and submit the Expression of Interest (EOI) Form.
The EOI will be reviewed to determine Alberta Lighthouse Initiative program eligibility and challenge alignment.
Select HSDPs will be invited to pitch presentations offered by high-potential ISPs to select an ISP to collaborate with.
Successful HSDP and ISP pairs will be invited to proceed to co-create a Full Proposal.

Evaluation Process

All applications are reviewed and evaluated to determine alignment to the Alberta Lighthouse Initiative. Alberta Innovates leverages internal staff and external expert reviewers to review all submissions.

For more information see the program guide.

Program at a Glance

Eligibility

Overview

Innovation Challenges

Funding

Key Dates

Eligibility

Project Eligibility (at full proposal stage)

How To Apply

Evaluation Process

Support Resources

HSDP Expression of Interest (EOI) Form – The Alberta Lighthouse Initiative

HSDP Expression of Interest (EOI) Form – Sample (PDF)