EDMONTON, AB, May 20, 2021 – Alberta Innovates is pleased to announce the launch of Clinical Trials Alberta (CTA) a new initiative that will generate lasting health and economic benefits for Albertans by solidifying our province as a premiere clinical trial destination in North America. Clinical Trials Alberta is a collaboration of government, academic institutions, and healthcare delivery organizations who have provided funding, expertise, and in-kind resources to establish Alberta as a premier destination for conducting high-quality clinical trials. Industries including pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and digital health are invited to discover the benefits of planning their next project in Alberta. Clinical Trials Alberta aims to: Promote Alberta’s unique assets for conducting high-quality clinical trials, Attract industry research and development investment to the province, Offer centralized access for industry to engage with Alberta’s clinical trial assets, Enable effective collaboration between industry sponsors and Alberta investigators, sites, and service providers. Quotes “Albertans are known for their innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. This partnership will generate lasting health and economic benefits for the province while creating jobs and diversifying our economy in one of the fastest growing areas in the world.” Tyler Shandro, Minister, Alberta Health “Alberta Innovates is excited to explore new opportunities and partnerships with industry leaders to showcase how Alberta is a world-class centre for clinical trials. Alberta is the place to be to develop, research, test and commercialize their health and life sciences solutions.” Laura Kilcrease, CEO, Alberta Innovates “This coordinated Alberta wide endeavour will attract industry, academia, and investigators looking to solve the most challenging health questions in the world. ClinicalTrialsAB.ca will be a critical enabler to realize our vision for a healthy Alberta.” Dr. Marcello Tonelli, Associate Vice-President (Research) University of Calgary Background Clinical Trials are studies that involve people and are a type of clinical research. They are done to test new treatments, discover how to prevent or diagnose a disease, learn how an illness affects a person’s life, and provide more information about a disease. Developing a new treatment (or improving one that already exists) usually starts in a laboratory with research and moves to studies with human volunteers to answer questions about health. Alberta is known for: Conducting over 1,400 active clinical trials across the province per year, Having two of Canada’s most active research cities, Having over 850 principal investigators with associated research staff, Being the third most active province for clinical trials (24 per cent of current clinical trials in Canada). Alberta’s assets include: A single integrated healthcare delivery and electronic medical record system, Research Ethics Board (REB) Exchange enabling a single touch point that streamlines ethics reviews and access to all three Health Information Act designated REBs, Over 850 potential clinical trial sites supported by highly qualified personnel, Two medical and research-intensive universities who collaborate to maximize recruiting, potential and streamlining of research administration, A highly diverse and engaged population of 4.4 million people who are well-educated in clinical trials through promotions like BeTheCure.ca Funded in part by: With collaboration from: Alberta Health Services Covenant Health College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta University of Alberta Northern Alberta Clinical Trials + Research Centre The Clinical Trials Alberta website was designed by: We&US