The Health Innovation Platform Partnerships program seeks to build a health innovation ecosystem that is robust, coordinated, and provides a competitive advantage for Alberta innovators in the health industry.
Alberta Innovates is focused on putting innovation into action to create a competitive health innovation ecosystem. We are seeking to partner with like-minded organizations in Alberta, to deliver Platforms (infrastructure, tools, and resources) to accelerate the health innovation client journey for our innovators (see diagram below). These Platform Partnerships will help Alberta’s innovators overcome the hurdles associated with developing product-market fit, ensuring business readiness, complying with regulatory requirements, and product development.
Alberta Innovates Client Journey and a Health Innovation Pathway1
[1] Adapted from the Consortia for Improving Medicine with Innovation and Technology (CIMIT) – Guidance and Impact Tracking System (GAITS) for Digital Medicine. https://www.gaits.org/ja/.
What’s New?
Stage 2 selections have been made after careful consideration and evaluation. During the pilots, we worked closely with each entity to ensure the platforms could easily integrate with our existing operations at Alberta Innovates and with the ecosystem at large.
| Applicant | Applicant Representative | Project title |
| University of Alberta
|
Michael Mengel | The Alberta Diagnostics Ecosystem Platform for Translation (ADEPT) |
| Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) | Kerri Oshust
|
NAIT CAMS Innovation Platform |
| Institute of Health Economics
|
Dan Palfrey
|
Health Economic Support for SMEs Across the Health Innovation Cycle |
Stage 1 applications have been adjudicated with 11 platform partnerships currently at the proof-of concept stage. Each applicant has received $200,000 to develop their proof-of-concept. The full proposal submission is due August 31st.
| Applicant | Applicant Representative | Project Title |
| Alberta Health Services | Jo-Louise Huq | Pre-commercial engagement and product-market fit: An Alberta Stroke & Neuroimaging Beachhead Offering |
| Bio-Conversion Databank Foundation | John McDougall | Digitally Enabled Collaborative Infrastructure to Accelerate Innovation in Health and Other Sectors |
| Institute of Health Economics | Dan Palfrey | Health Economic Support for SMEs Across the Health Innovation Cycle |
| Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) | Kerri Oshust | NAIT CAMS Innovation Platform |
| University of Alberta | Michael Mengel | The Alberta Diagnostics Ecosystem Platform for Translation (ADEPT) |
| University of Alberta | Sandra Spencer | UAlberta Health Hub & Accelerator |
| University of Alberta | Lawrence Richer | Alberta PRECision health Innovation, reSearch and technology Ecosystem (PRECISE) |
| University of Calgary | Chad Saunders | W21C Digital Health Collaboratorium |
| University of Calgary | Tyler Williamson | Modernizing the Primary Care Electronic Medical Record Ecosystem in Alberta |
| UTI Limited Partnership | Nima Najand | Digital Compass – product roadmap and marketing scale up support |
| UTI Limited Partnership | Nima Najand | Integrated Management Platform to Accelerate Clinical Trials (IMPACT) Expansion |
Priority Areas
The Program is focused on the following priority areas*:
- Platforms that enable the commercialization of novel digitally enabled and data informed health innovation.
- Platforms that utilize digitally enabled and data informed technologies to accelerate health innovation.
*Platforms outside of our priority areas that demonstrate high value to the health innovation ecosystem will be considered.
Eligibility
Alberta Innovates is seeking to partner with any Alberta-based organizations sharing a common vision to deliver needed resources to our health innovation community. See program guide for legal requirements for partner entities.
Funding
Alberta Innovates will contribute up to $200,000 for 9 months at Stage 1 to develop a proof-of-concept for the Platform Partnership.
At 6 months, Applicants will then be required to submit a Stage 2 application to request up to 75% of eligible expenses to support the Partnered Platform for up to three (3) years. No maximum budget has been set per Platform.
Application process
- Application registration – deadline: November 30, 2020 (4pm MT)
Complete the Non-Confidential Summary section of the Stage 1 application form via online application portal Note for new users of our application portal: Account Registration is not the same as Registering an application for a competition. Please complete the required sections of the application form and save a draft. - Stage 1 Application – deadline: January 15, 2021 (4pm MT)
Submit a complete Stage 1 application form via the online application portal. - Stage 2 Application– deadline: August 31, 2021 (4pm MT)
Complete the Full Stage Application via the online application portal.
Please note that you will need to create an account to access our online application portal.