Arthritis Ideator Awards - 2024

Eligibility

Arthritis Society Canada invites ideators, entrepreneurs and start-ups across Canada to submit their innovative ideas to the Arthritis Ideator Awards^TM. Applicants must be Canadian and the original creator/inventor and owner of the intellectual property that is being submitted. Eligibility will be determined by our panel of experts and although it is an open application process, success in the competition will be determined by how well each submission meets the selection criteria.  

Summary

The Arthritis Ideator Awards^TM are an integral part of Arthritis Society Canada’s bold innovation strategy. We are committed to uncovering and partnering with bright entrepreneurial talent as they invent and tailor practical solutions that could transform the lives of people living with arthritis.  

We invite ideators, entrepreneurs and start-ups across Canada to submit innovative ideas for this year’s competition that will help us fight the fire of arthritis.    

Ideas and innovations might include, for example: 

• assistive devices for aiding mobility or making the activities of daily living easier for people with arthritis 

• technology that can help manage the disease better 

• an application that helps people monitor symptoms 

Our expert panels will select finalists from among the applications to present their innovative ideas to a panel of judges comprised of an Arthritis Society Canada representative and VIP representatives.  

In total, $200,000 of awards will be presented. The first-place innovator will receive $100,000 and the runner up will receive $50,000, as selected by our VIP judging panel. A People’s Choice Award of $50,000 will also be selected by popular vote of Canadians across the country.  

Learn about the Arthritis Ideator Awards^TM event and award winners from April 2023

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

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.

Full applications, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS) (https://research.ucalgary.ca/conduct-research/additional-resources/research-management-system-rms), will be required by RSO by noon on December 18, 2023.  Please be sure to select "Submitted for approvals" (Under Save & Progress) in RMS in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the Research Services deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines. .

Once your RMS record has been approved by Research Services, submit to the agency by their deadline on December 21, 2023.

Applications will be accepted in the form of a pitch deck emailed to innovation@arthritis.ca by midnight ET on December 21, 2023.  

There is no prescribed format or length required for the pitch deck, but we encourage applications to consider creativity, clarity and the selection criteria when formulating their decks. Pitch decks should not exceed 10MB in size. If they are larger than 10MB, we ask that you utilize a secure file sharing program with a direct link to your pitch deck.