Accelerating Innovations into CarE (AICE)
Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Staged funding for Alberta-based for-profit SMEs developing health technologies that require scientific, preclinical, or clinical evidence to achieve regulatory approval and market access. Two streams: AICE-Validate (up to $300K for early validation at TRL 4+) and AICE-Market Access (up to $600K for late-stage studies at TRL 6+). Alberta Innovates covers up to 75% of eligible project costs; applicants contribute 25% minimum.
Eligibility Requirements
- Alberta-based for-profit SME with significant physical and corporate operations in Alberta
- Appropriate Alberta ownership with operational benefits flowing primarily within the province
- Innovative health technology requiring preclinical, safety, or clinical efficacy evidence to achieve regulatory approval or market adoption
- Technology Readiness Level 4+ across all domains for AICE-Validate
- Technology Readiness Level 6+ across all domains for AICE-Market Access
- Minimum 25% applicant cost contribution (cash or in-kind) required
- Project duration up to 24 months
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to $300,000 (AICE-Validate) or up to $600,000 (AICE-Market Access); Alberta Innovates funds up to 75% of eligible project costs
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Provincial
- Co-Funding
- Up to 75% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Ongoing — quarterly intake cycles; check albertainnovates.ca for current deadline dates
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Everything you need to win AICE — $19
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 6 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 9-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- 5-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 3-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
Applying for AICE? Our Financial Projections Model ($29) covers the cost-share, matching-fund, and cash-flow math reviewers want to see. Or get all 4 templates in the Founder Pack ($59 · saves $27) →
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipComplete the Health Innovation Roadmap tool before submitting your intake form — it maps your technology’s readiness level across multiple domains and helps you determine which stream to apply to. Reviewers expect that you understand the exact evidence gap your project addresses; vague “clinical pilot” proposals are deprioritized. The 6-week intake form window is a genuine gating step — missing it disqualifies you from that intake cycle regardless of project quality.
Rejection Pitfalls 6
- Technology is a digital health app, wellness product, or natural health product (categorically ineligible)
- Technology Readiness Level is below 4 (Validate) or below 6 (Market Access) in any domain
- Evidence plan lacks specificity — vague ‘pilot study’ without defined endpoints, sample size, or regulatory pathway
Success Profile
A small Alberta medtech or diagnostics company with 5–25 employees, a functioning prototype or early device (TRL 4–6), a concrete regulatory approval target (Health Canada Class II+ or FDA 510(k)), and a clinical partner (hospital, health authority, or research institute) already engaged. Strongest applications pair the evidence-generation plan with a named clinical site and a named health system champion.
Evaluation Criteria
Applications reviewed by Alberta Innovates staff and external subject matter experts on: (1) scientific and clinical validity — is the evidence-generation plan rigorous enough to achieve the stated regulatory or market access goal? (2) Technology readiness — does the project start at the claimed TRL with substantiated evidence? (3) Commercial viability — is there a realistic path from evidence to market revenue in Alberta? (4) Team capability — do the applicant and any clinical partners have the expertise to execute the study? (5) Alignment with Alberta Innovates mandate to generate economic benefit to the province.
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 9
Eligible Expenses 7
- Labour costs (gross wages and salaries at market rates) for staff directly performing project activities
- Subcontractor fees at arm’s-length market rates for work directly related to the project
- Clinical study costs including patient recruitment, study coordination, and data collection
- Regulatory affairs consulting and filing fees directly related to the evidence-generation project
- Equipment and software acquisitions critical to the project (valued at lower of cost or fair market value, pro-rated)
- Materials and supplies consumed in project activities
- Unrecoverable GST on otherwise eligible expenses
Ineligible Expenses 7
- Costs incurred before the Investment Agreement start date
- Business management software, clinic backend systems, or administrative tools
- Natural health products, wellness products, or unregulated direct-to-consumer goods
- Digital health applications and apps not requiring regulatory approval
- Land, buildings, and non-project-related capital expenditures
- General overhead and administrative costs not directly attributable to the project
- Costs between non-arm’s-length parties above fair market value
Intake Periods
Quarterly intake cycles — intake form deadlines historically occur in early December, early March, early June, and early September; full application deadlines follow approximately 6 weeks later. Check albertainnovates.ca for the current intake schedule.
Deadline Notes
Quarterly intake cycles with rolling full-application deadlines (historically: January, April, July, October). Intake form must be submitted at least 6 weeks before the full application deadline. As of May 2026, confirm the next intake window at albertainnovates.ca/funding/accelerating-innovations-into-care-aice/. Deadlines are firm at 4:00 PM Mountain Time.
Open Application Portal →Ineligible Organizations
- Not-for-profit organizations and charities
- Public research institutions (universities, hospitals as lead applicants)
- Sole proprietorships and unincorporated businesses
- Alberta companies with operations primarily outside Alberta
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Medium RiskFunding is tied to milestone completion. Failure to complete agreed project milestones, material misuse of funds, or cessation of Alberta operations during the project period may trigger partial or full repayment obligations. Alberta Innovates retains audit rights.
How AICE Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accelerating Innovations into CarE (A... | Up to $300,000 | Moderate | Milestone-Based | Ongoing — quarterly... |
| NRC IRAP Clean Technology Program | $100,000–$500,000 | Hard | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing |
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| CED Quebec — REGI Business Scale-up a... | $150,000–$1,000,000 | Moderate | Reimbursement | Ongoing |
| NSERC Applied Research and Developmen... | Up to $150,000 | Moderate | Advance Payment | Ongoing — applications... |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about AICE