Health Technologies Fund Provides $20M in Innovative Research Grants
Modern healthcare technologies (healthtech) are transforming Ontario’s health care system to provide greater care for patients at a lower cost. This rapid acceleration of innovation has made the province a better place to live, work, and perform scientific research in. Businesses may take advantage of Ontario’s healthtech ecosystem, which includes a variety of research grants, to develop and commercialize new innovative technologies.
The Health Technologies Fund (HTF) provides Ontario government grants to support the development of leading, market-ready technologies that are made in Ontario.
Businesses who are prototyping, evaluating, adopting, or diffusing healthcare technologies may be eligible to receive up to 50% of project expenses to a maximum $500,000 in Ontario government funding.
Research grants will be awarded to companies that effectively leverage Ontario’s innovation ecosystem to develop new technologies. Participants must enter a collaboration that includes one or more publicly-funded health service providers (such as hospitals or long-term care homes), an Ontario-based healthtech company, and academic researchers from an Ontario college or university.
Health Innovation Teams: Participants Eligible for the Health Technologies Fund
HTF seeks to form Health Innovation Teams that collaborate to develop and commercialize new healthcare technologies. Separately, each team member can address a small portion of a problem, however as a team, members can build a complete solution that is viable and in high demand within the healthcare field.
HTF funded projects must contain all 3 research partner types:
- One or more provider(s) of publicly-funded health services. Eligible health care system partners include (but are not limited to) family health teams, community care providers, long-term care homes, Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) and hospitals. The health care partner commits to providing the clinical setting in which the innovative technology will be evaluated, including patient engagement, clinicians and operations support and procurement expertise.
- An Ontario-based health technology company (of any size or stage) with a research and development, and/or manufacturing presence in Ontario.
- Academic researchers with expertise in technology adoption and diffusion, evaluation, design and implementation, or health economics.
Health Technologies Fund Project Focus: Better Care Closer to Home
Projects must fall within the HTF’s priority area, which is ‘Better Care Closer to Home’. The goal is to deliver better coordinated and integrated care in the community, closer to home. Research and development projects related to home and community care through virtual, digital and mobile health-care technologies are being funded through the current round of HTF applications.
HTF Research Grants Ontario: Funding Streams
Health Technologies Fund applicants may use one of three streams to support their healthtech research and development project. Each stream may support up to 50% of eligible project expenses to a defined maximum amount. Projects may last up to two years in length. These streams include:
Healthtech Prototypes: Up to $100,000
Businesses may receive grants to pilot a new health technology product or service in an Ontario health-care setting for the first time.
Pre-Market Evaluations: Up to $500,000
Funding is provided to businesses who can demonstrate a validated technology in a health care setting. Activities should result in clinical and economic evidence that supports adoption and procurement of the technology by Ontario health care providers.
Early Adoptions: Up to $500,000
Healthtech grants support the implementation of a validated technology across multiple health care settings, expanding the clinical and economic evidence for the solution. Activities may include scaling training, establishing standards to facilitate integration into broader health systems, and development of an innovation procurement plan.
How to Apply for Health Technologies Fund Research and Development Grants
Healthcare service providers must submit a Problem Statement Intake Form that identifies all members of the Health Innovation Team and lists problems that will be addressed by the project.Problem Statement Intake Forms must be submitted through an OCE Business Development Manager or Innovation Procurement Manager.
Prior to application, please ensure that your research and development project is well defined and that you have a team that consists of a healthcare service provider and a health technology partner.
If the Problem Statement Intake Form is approved, applicants will be invited to submit a full application that details specific project plans, budgets, and impacts.
HTF Program Application Deadlines
Please note the following deadlines when applying for the Health Technologies Fund:
- Problem Statement Intake Form Submission: June 21, 2017
- Problem Statement Intake Form Approvals: July 14, 2017
- Full Application Form Submission: August 21, 2017
- Award Notification: September 29, 2017
If you would like help in confirming your eligibility for Health Technologies Fund or need assistance in preparing the necessary submission forms, please contact a Government Funding Planner.
