Accelerating Innovations into CarE (AICE) – Concepts Program 2023-2024

Eligibility

Stream 1 projects must:

• Be led by an Alberta-based post-secondary institution or government health authority;
• Apply a computational technology or technique to address at least one clearly defined clinical problem that is relevant to the precision health priority areas of this call, as stated in the previous section. Network-based precision health approaches will be prioritized.
• Address product development and at least one other commercialization domain within the health innovation pathway (see the Alberta Innovates Client Journey and Health Innovation Checklist).

2023 / 2024 Priority Area: Towards clinical application of network-based precision health approaches:

This call seeks to apply computational technologies or techniques (e.g., artificial intelligence, in silico modelling, Design of Experiments, regression statistics) to realize personalized health benefits in the following priority areas:

• Prevention - Address selective prevention (e.g., social determinants of health) or indicated prevention (i.e., at-risk) populations.
• Diagnosis - For example, medical imaging; omics-based informatics; epigenetics; microbiome; brain; or mental health; predictive, companion, or prognostic biosensors; wearables.
• Digital Therapeutics - Clinical evaluation of software to treat, manage, or prevent a disease or medical disorder (e.g., cognitive therapies; chronic disease management; addiction therapies).

Summary

The Accelerating Innovations into CarE (AICE) – Concepts Program serves to accelerate early-stage health research and innovation that demonstrates high commercial potential in priority areas of precision health. AICE-Concepts enables innovators to advance their client journey across four commercialization domains for health innovation: product development: business readiness; product-market fit; and regulatory compliance. The AICE-Concepts Program supports activities within the ideating and conceptualizing stages of Alberta Innovates client journey across the four commercialization domains for health innovation (please refer to the Client Journey and Health Innovation Checklist).

A reasonable fraction of the project budget will be required to address activities outside of product development. This requirement aims to address the three other commercialization domains of the health innovation checklist — product-market fit, business readiness, and regulatory compliance. Funded projects will be expected to demonstrate progression across all four domains.

Submission Process

Please carefully consult the AICE-Concepts Program webpage and guide. Eligible applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Alberta Innovates before applying.

The Alberta Innovates application process consists of two stages: Registration and Full Application.

1. Registration

All interested Applicants must register their intent to apply so that Alberta Innovates can recruit appropriate reviewers. The deadline for registration is May 12, 2023 at 4:00 pm (MT).

To register, access the AICE-Concepts application form in the Alberta Innovates SmartSimple portal and complete the non-confidential summary tab and save a draft by the deadline. Note that any drafts without a completed non-confidential summary section by the registration deadline will be removed and unable to apply.

RSO review and RMS approval are not required at this stage.

2. Full Application

The full application, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS) via a Pre-Award/Application record, must be submitted to the RSO no later than July 11, 2023 at 12:00 pm. 

• Required uploads in RMS:
  • PDF version of application form (including the attachments)
  • Alberta Innovates Workplan and Budget Workbook (Excel file)

Please be sure to select 'Submitted for approval' (under Save & Progress) in RMS in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the RSO internal deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines. 

A Research Funding Application Approvals (RFAA) form is not required as approvals are collected electronically in RMS.

Do not submit to the agency until RSO's approval has been granted in RMS.

Once the institutional signature has been obtained, the Principal Investigator will receive an automated message from RMS to their @ucalgary email address. You can then proceed with submitting your application via the Alberta Innovates SmartSimple portal by July 14, 2023 at 4:00 pm (MT).

Resources

• AICE-Concepts Program Guide
• Client Journey and Health Innovation Checklist
• Sample Application Form (for reference only)
• Alberta Innovates Program Contact: Dr. Sunil Rajput, Director, Research - Health Innovation (Sunil.Rajput@albertainnovates.ca)

Overhead

N/A

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

Application deadlines

Registration

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.