A Recap of the June Hamilton Health Innovation Check-up

What if you could pinpoint the challenges health organizations face and offer solutions that fit perfectly? A system designed to put your innovations exactly where they can drive change. That’s the vision driving the CAN Health Network, highlighted at the latest Hamilton Health Innovation Check-up hosted by Synapse Life Science Consortium where their new collaboration with Innovation Factory‘s own HEALTHI program was discussed. This partnership is set to unlock opportunities for Canadian health tech ventures.

Forging a path for Canadian solutions with CAN Health Network

At its heart, the CAN Health Network, a six-year strong initiative, acts as a catalyst for economic growth within healthcare. As John Vail, Ontario Director for the CAN Health Network, explains, their core mission is to create clear inroads between Canadian healthcare operators and market-ready Canadian companies.

“We want to ensure our Canadian companies are purchased by our healthcare operators and that IP, jobs, and taxes stay right here in Canada,” Vail emphasizes. This “Canada first” philosophy is more vital than ever, particularly with global supply chain disruptions, rising trade tensions, and the urgent need for innovation to address ongoing staffing shortages and increasing demands on our healthcare system.

CAN Health’s unique strength lies in its demand-driven approach. Instead of simply offering technology, they start by asking healthcare providers across their expansive network (over 50 “Edge” partners, covering 85% of Canada’s population) a fundamental question: “What challenge do you need to solve?”

Once a need is identified, CAN Health scouts the marketplace for Canadian solutions. When a match is made, the team facilitates commercialization projects. These aren’t just evaluations; they’re structured initiatives focused on validating your product’s KPIs for procurement. The goal? To demonstrate exactly what a healthcare organization needs to see to adopt your solution.

With over 127 commercialization projects and an impressive 80% success rate in procurement, CAN Health has a proven track record. Just look at NanoTess, an Alberta-based company with a wound care solution that showed immense healthcare savings and scaled nationally, or SeamlessMD, a digital patient engagement platform revolutionizing surgical recovery. These are just two examples of Canadian innovation making a real impact, nationally.

HEALTHI: Your accelerator for CAN Health opportunities

While CAN Health opens the door to significant procurement opportunities, navigating the initial administrative and due diligence phases can still be a hurdle. This is precisely where Innovation Factory’s HEALTHI program steps in.

For four years, HEALTHI has successfully provided up to $15,000 worth in services towards collaborative projects with hospital institutions, historically within the Hamilton region. These funds are designed to de-risk early engagement activities: think pre-trial protocol documentation, crucial stakeholder connections, and project scoping. HEALTHI has already deployed over $1.1 million, completed 74 projects, and generated an incredible $5.8 million in follow-on investment – a 530% leverage rate!

Now, in an exciting new collaboration, HEALTHI participants can leverage the same amount in services to work with any CAN Health Network health system partner across Canada.

“Once a connection is made between your company and a CAN Health Network health system partner, HEALTHI jumps in to help accelerate those administrative requirements and project setup,” explains Brandon McIntyre, Program Manager for Life Sciences at Innovation Factory.

This means faster due diligence, streamlined project scoping, and quicker “go/no-go” decisions on fully funded CAN Health projects. It’s the critical early support that transforms an identified opportunity into a solidified, actionable collaboration.

Understanding the journey: Timelines and readiness

CAN Health projects typically range from 3 to 12 months. Shorter 3-month projects are ideal for solutions requiring minimal validation for procurement. The longer, 12-month projects are designed for initiatives involving more significant clinical engagement and workflow changes – particularly those “changing a standard of care.”

Vail emphasizes HEALTHI’s unique contribution here: “We had a conversation with a group that said, ‘I really like this product… but I actually don’t know how I’m going to plan and fit this into the work.’ That’s a great HEALTHI project, because that’s clinical engagement upfront.” HEALTHI provides the critical early dollars and dedicated time to bridge the gap from “this is a great idea, but I have no time” to “let’s build the framework for a CAN Health project.”

A key takeaway for innovators: CAN Health focuses on market-ready products with all necessary regulatory approvals already in place. Your solution needs to be ready to solve today’s challenges without requiring major provincial policy shifts. 

Each month, the Synapse Life Science Consortium hosts a virtual session to bring the life science community together to share updates, explore collaboration opportunities, and discuss the development and deployment of health innovations, called the Monthly Hamilton Health Check-up. Stay connected with future sessions to be part of the ongoing conversation that is driving health innovation in Hamilton and beyond. 

Attend the next virtual meeting by signing up here. 

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