The Canadian Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation (C-ABHI) invites interested seniors’ care and other health service organizations to submit an Expression of Interest to act as a trial partner site as part of its Industry Innovation Partnership Program (i2p2). Trial partners will have an opportunity to gain early access to new innovative solutions in the aging and brain health sector for testing and validation!
CABHI enables global innovators with promising solutions in the field of aging and brain health to collaborate with leading seniors’ care organizations across North America. As a solution accelerator, CABHI purposefully guides pilot testing towards mobilizing knowledge for adoption and solution procurement. Pilot projects aim to provide definitive evidence regarding a product or service’s ability to improve client outcomes and create efficiencies in the healthcare system. Products should show promising scalability for wider system implementation and impact.
Trial partners must be a seniors’ care or other health service organization in Canada, or a network partner of C-ABHI in the United States. At least one of the project participants, either the applicant company or the trial partner site, must be located in Canada.
About the Industry Innovation Partnership Program
I2P2 bridges the gap between companies with innovative solutions, and seniors’ care institutions interested in evaluating new approaches to key challenges.
The program supports the testing of mature-stage products and services in real-life clinical and home environments. Companies can apply for up to $600,000 (CAD) from CABHI to support up to 50% of eligible project costs. Funding will be provided directly to trial partners to administer and oversee the pilot. All projects must be completed within a 6 to 18 month period. Funding can go towards such costs as:
- Backfilling clinical staff on the pilot test unit
- Hiring a project manager
- Relevant training, consulting costs
- Technology resources
In 2016-17, C-ABHI’s programs addressed the following care priorities for older adults living with cognitive impairment:
- Reducing unnecessary emergency department visits.
- Preventing falls or mitigating injury due to falls.
- Providing better management of complex health conditions at home.
- Improving brain health and cognitive fitness (also for non-impaired older adults).
Solution providers submitted Expressions of Interest on December 9, 2016. These submissions were then evaluated by a panel of external subject matter experts, with a shortlist of the most promising proposals was finalized January 6, 2017. A sub-set of companies who have been shortlisted are seeking trial partner sites through a brokering process managed by CABHI.
Full program details and the original call to companies can be found here: http://www.cabhi.com/i2p2-call/
Trial Partner Role and Responsibilities
By responding with an Expression of Interest, you are indicating your organization’s interest in participating in this brokering process.
The trial partner sites will be responsible for:
- Testing the product or service on their premises
- Receiving and administering project funding*
- Support to the company in the creation of the project charter, as well as overseeing project execution (as determined with the company, but may include project management, and access to technical infrastructure, staff and clients)
- Providing project updates and pilot outcomes to CABHI
- Ensure privacy and research ethics review requirements at your site are identified and met
* In the case of multi-site trials, a lead trial site will be named and administer funds on behalf of the entire project.
Company and Trial Partner Site Brokering Process
Step 1: Prospective trial partners submit an Expression of Interest by February 17, 2017, indicating their organization’s interest, capacity to host the pilot, and the companies they are interested in working with.
Step 2: CABHI works with the companies that have been shortlisted for i2p2, to identify preferred partner sites. CABHI will arrange meetings with the shortlisted companies and prospective trial partner site to discuss the scope of the trial, desired outcomes, and their role in the final project application. These meetings will be scheduled starting February 24, 2017.
Step 3: Successfully matched companies and trial partner sites will collaborate to complete the final application for project funding by April 10, 2017.
Step 4: CABHI will review the proposed project scope, timeline, budget and expected outcomes. Applicants may be contacted for additional information during the review phase.
Step 5: CABHI’s external Project Selection Committee will perform a final-stage evaluation and recommend successful applicants.
Step 6: Successful applicants will be notified by May 30, 2017.
Step 7: Contract negotiations will set out financial and in-kind contributions of the selected company and the trial partner and any other rights of CABHI, including rights to disseminate the findings. The signing of the final agreement is targeted to be completed by June 29, 2017.
Expressing your interest to become a trial partner by completing these 3 easy steps!
- Complete the online Expression of Interest form by February 17, 2017, which includes a pilot readiness assessment questionnaire.
- Review the summary of shortlisted trial proposals seeking partners. Email info@cabhi.com to request a summary if you do not already have one. On the Expression of Interest, indicate which solutions you are potentially interested in piloting.
- Include a letter of support from a senior manager at your organization to support your expression of interest and attach it as a PDF to the Expression of Interest form.
CABHI will issue calls of this nature in the future. Applicants are welcome to complete the readiness questionnaire to indicate their interest in being contacted for future trial opportunities.
