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1. Overview
   • About the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation (CABHI)
   • About the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA)
   • Programs and Innovation Themes

    2.  Canada-Israel Collaboration Program

2.1   Call for Innovations

2.2   Program Benefits

2.3   Selection Criteria

2.4   Process and Timeline

2.5   Frequently Asked Questions

3. Appendix – The Canada-Israel Collaboration Program Eligible Expense Guideline for CABHI portion of funds

Important Dates

Overview

About the Israel Innovation Authority

The Israel Innovation Authority (IIA), formerly known as the Office of the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Economy (& MATIMOP), which is responsible for the country’s innovation policy, is an independent and impartial public entity that operates for the benefit of the Israeli innovation ecosystem and Israeli economy as a whole.

Its role is to nurture and develop Israeli innovation resources while creating and strengthening the infrastructure and framework needed to support the entire knowledge industry.

As such, the IIA advises the government and Parliament (“Knesset”) committees regarding innovation policy in Israel and furthermore monitors and analyzes the dynamic changes taking place throughout the innovation environments in Israel and abroad. The Authority creates cooperation with counterpart agencies to promote technological innovation in the Israeli industry and economy.

Canada-Israel Collaboration Program

CABHI and IIA invite interested Israeli companies to submit applications to refine and validate their brain health and seniors’ care products or services. Our program is designed to help commercial organizations derive scientific evidence that their solution significantly impacts key challenges in seniors’ care. IIA and CABHI are seeking to help Israeli firms get the evidence they need to develop products or services that address the needs of an aging population. Progressive companies applying to this program will recognize the importance of scientific evidence to the long-term success of their products or services in improving the quality of life of older adults.

2.1 Call for Innovations

CABHI is committed to accelerating innovative solutions that support health outcomes and quality of life in the aging and brain health sector.  Israeli companies are asked to submit project proposals for the validation testing of products, processes, services, and/or technologies in four key care-need areas that are specifically targeted to older adults.  Successful applicants will be able to validate their technology concept either at Baycrest in Toronto, Canada, and/or at selected CABHI’s partnered seniors’ care organizations located in Canada.

Through this validation and testing process, the selected companies will be able to derive scientific evidence and user validation for their solutions, which is then intended to provide a stronger foundation for future uptake of their products or services by health service provider organizations.

As a first step, all interested companies must submit an Expression of Interest online no later than
5 pm (EST) on June 29, 2017 (https://baycrest.blitzen.com/form/CIC-2017) .

Themes for Call for Innovations

CABHI will support innovations that address the following themes:

1. Emergency department visits: Solutions that avoid or reduce unnecessary emergency department visits for older adults living with dementia.
2. Falls prevention: Solutions that prevent falls or mitigate injury due to falls in older adults with dementia.
3. Aging at home: Solutions for better management of complex chronic conditions for older adults with dementia living at home.
4. Cognitive fitness: Solutions that improve brain health or cognitive fitness in older adults.

All project applications must focus on one or more of the themes mentioned above.  The products or services proposed must be sufficiently advanced in terms of technological development, and sufficiently supported by the applicant’s company in order to sustain a 12 to 18 month trial including analysis and creation of a final report. Selected projects will be expected to commence by January 2018.

Funding Available

This program will select 1 or 2 projects that will commence in January 2018. Eligible project costs will be shared between the successful Israeli company, the IIA and CABHI.

Funding from CABHI:

Each selected applicant will be able to lever a maximum of $250,000 (CAD) from CABHI to support up to 50% of the eligible project costs incurred at the trial partner site(s) to test the product or service. The project will be undertaken at the identified trial-partner site(s) located in Canada.
CABHI’s funding is to be used to support the project costs of the company’s trial-partner according to CABHI’s Eligible Expense Guidelines.

Funding from the IIA:

Selected applicants can receive additional funding from the IIA according to IIA’s funding rules. These funds will be provided by IIA directly to the selected Israeli company.

Funding from the selected company (applicant):

The remaining 50% of the eligible project costs incurred at the trial partner site(s) must be provided by the selected Israeli company, through a blend of cash and in-kind contributions. For example, if the total eligible project costs to execute the trial at a selected seniors’ care organization is $450,000 (CAD), then $225,000 (CAD) must be funded by the selected Israeli company (typically in-kind and/or cash contribution), and the remaining $225,000 (CAD) of funding (typically in cash) will be provided by CABHI directly to the trial site(s). The selected company is also required to match the contribution of the IIA.

Flow of Funds from CABHI:

CABHI will release an initial payment of 30% of its portion of the funding at the start of the project to the trial partner (healthcare organization) at whose site the validation testing will be conducted.  Subsequent interim payments (two installments each of 30%) will be released upon receipt and approval of interim progress and financial reports from the trial site.  A holdback of 10% will be released upon project completion and receipt of final progress and financial reports, outcomes and attestation from the host trial partner.

The selected Israeli company and trial partner (seniors’ care organization) will each be accountable for the completion of certain project milestones and deliverables as well as performance reporting.

CABHI will not obtain any ownership rights to the intellectual property associated with the product or solution, but will retain the right to disseminate the results of the testing.  Seniors’ care organizations will also have the right to disseminate the results of the testing. If and when the product/solution is commercialized, the selected company providing the product or solution must agree to make it available to CABHI and its network of seniors’ care organizations at a reduced price.

2.2 Program Benefits

The benefits of participating in the Canada-Israel Collaboration Program include the following:

1. An opportunity to have the company’s products, services and processes tested in a “living lab” environment in one or more of Canada’s premiere healthcare and long-term care organizations, via access to a large population of diverse end-users across a spectrum of settings (including inpatient, outpatient, independent, assisted living, long-term care and community)
2. An opportunity to generate objective scientific evidence and user validation of the effectiveness of the company’s product/service, which will support the advancement of brain health and aging care as well as help differentiate the product/service in the marketplace
3. An opportunity to proactively develop projects with expert design and innovation capacity
4. An opportunity to establish a working relationship with leading Canadian seniors’ care organizations, which will add credibility to the company’s product or service
5. An opportunity to promote adoption of the product or service through a Canadian network of leading seniors’ care organizations following a successful trial

To support the successful applicants, CABHI and/or Canadian trial partners will provide the following:

1. Share project costs related specifically to the trial, to support the advancement of innovations in the realm of aging and brain health for the benefit of the public
2. Develop connections with brain health and aging experts who have an interest in the innovator’s product or service, with a view to supporting knowledge-sharing and facilitating further collaboration and advancements
3. Provide access to a large population of end-users for the purpose of testing solutions across Canada
4. Support the development or refinement of the protocols and assessment methodologies necessary for conducting a scientifically valid trial
5. Support execution of the trial including trial ethics, participant recruitment, data collection and data management
6. Conduct quantitative and qualitative analyses, interpret results and generate a final report

2.3 Selection Criteria

All applications will be evaluated based on the following selection criteria:

1. Strategic Alignment:

   • How well does this project align with CABHI’s Call for Innovation themes for 2017?
   • How well does the project align with the eligibility rules, goals and intended scope of the Canada-Israel Collaboration Program?

2. Product and technology/Technical merit:

   • The significance of the problem being solved/opportunity identified:  How well does this project meet an important customer and/or societal need in the realm of aging and brain health?
   • Degree of innovation in the proposed solution:  Uniqueness or ‘breakthrough’ nature of the project and potential for broad, positive impact and advancement in the aging and brain health sector
   • Development Stage: The product offered must be in a mature stage of the product development lifecycle, appropriate for user testing and validation in a real-world setting (all regulatory requirements met). The product or solution offered must not be at an idea, concept, or prototype stage.
   • Technical feasibility: The likelihood that the trial project will be successfully implemented from  the perspective of available funds, resources, skills and technologies. Typically, 12 to 18 months are needed from project start to the completion, analysis and generation of the final report.
   • Strength of IP portfolio/IP Strategy.

3. Market opportunity/commercial merit:

   • Size of the potential market: The likelihood that the product or service can be rolled out on a larger scale and applied across regions to provide system-wide impact.
   • The extent to which the need/demand for the product or process can be validated: The applicant must understand and accept that developing scientific evidence of the efficacy of their solution will take time and resources. Preference will be given to projects with the potential to demonstrate real-world impact within 12 to 18 month timeframe.
   • Target market/target customers: The solution must be for aging and brain health, and meet the needs of either older adults, caregivers or healthcare professionals.

4. Business Plan/Company management:

   • Soundness of approach and accompanying work plan: Applicants must demonstrate that they have resources to invest in a scientific trial of their solution and to fully engage with a seniors’ care organization(s) during this period to develop and further refine their product or solution.
   • Adequacy of management plan

5. Qualifications of key members of the project team

   • Experience and skills of the project leader and team – track record; historical productivity and impact; likelihood that this team can complete the innovation project being proposed; members have time and availability to commit to the project; and high potential for collaboration
   • Named key members of management team, positions, compensation, business experience, and expertise with the company’s technology; include CVs
   • Ability of the companies to commercialize the resulting technology successfully.
   • Potential economic benefit.

6. Proposal Clarity

   • Well-written and focused proposal including a clearly delineated framework including the project outputs, outcomes, relevant performance metrics and success indicators, project plan, timelines, and key milestones

7. Key Performance Indicators

   • Proposals that will demonstrate client and caregiver outcomes at the end of the implementation of the project such as:
     • Improved client experience related to specific caregiver behaviours (treated with more respect, listened to more, more care and attention, etc.) following introduction of a new practice or product as a result of the intervention.
     • Improved quality of life reported by healthcare providers/end-users for their clients related to specific quality of life dimensions (improved mobility, physical functioning, social interaction, mood, etc.) following introduction of a new practice, product or service as a result of the intervention.

NOTE:  CABHI will not fund initiatives that involve basic research, primarily academic goals, capital investment in a portfolio of intellectual property, pharmaceutical clinical trials or incubators for start-up companies.

CABHI reserves the right not to select any applications for testing, and to annul this Call for Innovations at any time, without incurring any liability. CABHI reserves the right to modify the scope of this Call for Innovations at any time.

2.4 Process and Timeline

Step 1:

Review the criteria to ensure your product or solution addresses the identified themes. If you decide to apply, submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) by completing the online form by 5:00 PM on June 29, 2017, including full contact details, the title and a brief description of your project. All applications must be in English, and nothing confidential or proprietary should be included. You are granting no rights to any intellectual property by submitting an EOI.

Step 2:

The IIA and CABHI will review and shortlist eligible applicants based on selection criteria. Shortlisted applicants will be notified by July 20, 2017.

Step 3:

Shortlisted applicants will be introduced to a prospective CABHI seniors’ care organization best-suited to be a trial partner site. Meetings will ensue during which the two groups, together with CABHI, will collaborate to define the scope of the trial and its desired outcomes. After this consultation period, the shortlisted applicant together with the identified seniors’ care organization (trial partner site) will jointly complete an online application form on CABHI’s website at http://www.cabhi.com/  by 5:00 pm (EST) on October 13, 2017. All applications must be in English, and contain no material that is confidential or proprietary. You are granting no rights to any intellectual property by submitting an application.

Step 4:

In addition, the Israeli company will also be required to apply for support from the IIA by September 18, 2017 at http://www.economy.gov.il/RnD/Programs/Pages/Mop_Fund.aspx.  The website is in Hebrew.

Step 5:

IIA and CABHI will review the submitted applications, including project scope, timeline, deliverables and expected outcomes, against the selection criteria.  Applicants may be contacted for additional information during the review phase, and must be willing to make revisions to the project plan, if requested. IIA and CABHI will perform a final-stage evaluation and select successful applicants.

Step 6:

Successful applicants will be notified by November 30^th, 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, with the signing of the final agreement targeted to be completed by December 22^nd, 2017.

If contract negotiations do not result in an agreement in a reasonable amount of time (determined exclusively by CABHI), CABHI may terminate negotiations, terminate the program or invite an alternate applicant to engage in negotiations.

Canada-Israel Collaboration Program: Important dates

2.5 Frequently Asked Questions

We are not sure if our innovation qualifies. Who can we contact for more information?

Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation

Baycrest Health Sciences

3500 Bathurst Street

Toronto, ON – M6A 2E1

Email: info@cabhi.com

Where can I learn more about CABHI?

More information is available at www.cabhi.com

Why should I apply to the Canada-Israel Collaboration Program?

This program provides an opportunity for innovators in Israel to have their products or solutions tested and validated in a real-world setting with older adults in Canada.

Who can apply for Canada-Israel Collaboration program?

This program is open to companies in Israel having a product or service focused on solving aging and brain health challenges and in an advanced stage of development. Eligible companies may come from, but are not limited to, sectors such as: non-invasive medical devices, emerging technologies, wellness and digital health solutions, healthcare delivery practices, therapeutic approaches and practitioner/caregiver training and support. Companies could be of any size or stage (start-up, small to medium-sized enterprise, multinational enterprises).

Not-for-profit companies are not eligible to apply to the Canada-Israel Collaboration Program. This program is not open to researchers, academia, or clinicians affiliated with health service providers or education institutions.

What types of support are offered by CABHI under the Canada-Israel Collaboration Program?

• Identification and selection of appropriate trial partner site
• Testing of the products or solutions including project development, management, implementation and knowledge translation support, advice and guidance
• Issues management support (e.g., work with the lead project team and participating sites to address barriers and strengthen enablers)
• Guidance on how best to evaluate the product initially (e.g., design a trial etc.) as well as post-trial improvements resulting from the clinical trial deployment
• Assistance with resource allocation and champion identification at each trial partner site
• Communications support to profile and share lessons learned with the healthcare community

What are the expectations from applicants?

Applicants must have some experience in leading evidence-based implementation initiatives in healthcare that have demonstrated improvements in outcomes, effectiveness and quality. Applicants preferably should have prior experience in developing and implementing aging and brain health related clinical products or solutions.  Selected applicants will be expected to:

• Partner and work closely with CABHI staff to facilitate the implementation of the trial project and to validate the claimed benefits as proposed in the CABHI Call for Innovations online application
• Collaborate with trial partner(s) to provide regular updates and reports to the CABHI project team
• Ensure necessary resources are allocated to the project to prove consistency in outcomes and necessary funds are available
• Ensure engagement and participation from staff within the applicant’s organization
• Allocate time for staff to participate in project implementation at the trial partner site
• Provide matching funds
• Educate and train the staff at trial partner site(s) on the product or solution

What are the Canada-Israel Collaboration Program selection criteria?

• The products or solutions offered align with CABHI’s themes to address:
  • Emergency department visits: Solutions that avoid or reduce unnecessary emergency department visits for older adults living with dementia.
  • Falls prevention: Solutions that prevent falls or mitigate injury due to falls in older adults with dementia.
  • Aging at home: Solutions for better management of complex chronic conditions for older adults with dementia living at home.
  • Cognitive fitness: Solutions that improve brain health or cognitive fitness in older adults.
• The product or solution offered is not at an idea, concept or prototype stage. The product offered is at a mature stage of the product lifecycle, appropriate for user testing and validation.
• Products or solutions are innovative, provide a solid value proposition and distinct competitive advantage, are scalable to provide system-wide impact, and are clinically, technically, commercially and operationally feasible to implement.
• CABHI will not participate in initiatives that involve basic fundamental research, academic oriented goals, capital investment in a portfolio of intellectual property, pharmaceutical clinical trials or incubators for start-ups.

What is meant by products or solutions at advanced stage of development with promising scalability?

Proposals should describe early evidence that supports the claimed value proposition for the product or solution being offered. This first form of evidence will validate the efficacy or effectiveness of the proposed solution. Proposals must also demonstrate that their proposed implementation methodology stands a good chance of success, and that their plan is supported by previous successes of similar methodologies. This may also include references to prior pilot test results.

Which expenses are eligible for reimbursement under the Canada-Israel Collaboration program?

Each selected applicant will be able to lever a maximum of $250,000 (CAD) from CABHI to support eligible project costs associated with a trial to validate the innovation. CABHI’s funding is to be used to support the project costs of the trial-partner site. Selected applicants can receive additional funding from the IIA according to IIA’s funding rules. These funds will be provided directly by IIA to the selected Israeli company.

The selected Israeli company must match CABHI’s contribution through a blend of cash and/or in-kind contributions. For example, if the total eligible project costs to execute the trial at a selected seniors’ care organization is $450,000 (CAD), then $225,000 (CAD) must be funded by the selected Israeli company (applicant), and the remaining $250,000 (CAD) of funding will be provided by CABHI directly to the trial site(s). The selected Israeli company must invest their portion of the project costs at the start of the project.   Please refer to the CABHI Call for Innovations – Eligible Expenses Guideline.

The selected company is also required to match the contribution of the IIA.

What happens if my application is selected?

An agreement will be established between CABHI, the trial partner(s) and the selected applicant to clarify roles and responsibilities, expectations and deliverables, budget and project timelines. It is expected that the selected applicant will process and approve the agreement by December 22, 2017.

What are some common pitfalls to avoid when preparing an Expression of Interest?

Pay special attention to the following points when submitting your application:

• Ensure that your product or solution offered addresses at least one of the themes for the Call for Innovations
• Ensure that the product or solution described in your application is firmly supported by early evidence.
• The product or solution offered must not be at an idea, concept or at prototype stage
• The product offered is at a mature stage of the product lifecycle, appropriate for user testing and validation
• Ensure that you clearly show that your firm is resourced to be able to sustain the work, expense and the time involved in working on a trial across Canada that could last 12 to 18 months

Who receives the CABHI matching funding?

The Canada-Israel Collaboration program is predicated on a partnership between IIA, CABHI, an Israeli commercial innovator and an academic or clinical team at one of the eligible healthcare institutions. CABHI will match the value of the contribution made equally by the Israeli company’s in-kind and cash contribution for a product evaluation/validation project.  CABHI’s matching funds will flow to the healthcare institution that will use the funds to assign staff members to work with the partner commercial company on the product testing project.  No CABHI funds will flow to the commercial partner.

Can I view in advance a template of the full online application form before I am notified if my application has been shortlisted?

A template of the full online application form is available in PDF format.  Please do not submit the PDF version of the application form.  This document is intended for those who wish to begin to prepare their application in advance of being notified whether or not their Expression of Interest has been shortlisted.  Only those applicants who are shortlisted will be invited to complete and submit a full application form using a secure online form.

IIA application must be submitted online directly on IIA’s website.

Instructions at http://www.economy.gov.il/RnD/Programs/Pages/Mop_Fund.aspx

Are there any fees to apply for the program?

There is no application fee to apply for the program.

Is there any protocol development fee charged for testing/validating the product or solution in real-world settings with an aging population?

CABHI’s funding is for the testing at the Canadian trial-partner site(s) only and is meant to cover a portion of the costs for conducting a scientifically valid trial. The IIA and selected company each will be expected to fund one-third of the eligible project costs incurred at the trial partner to test the innovation.

Is there a PDF version of the call?

Yes – View the Canada-Israel Collaboration Program Call for Innovations.

Contact:  info@cabhi.com

Appendix – The Canada-Israel Collaboration Program Eligible Expense Guideline for CABHI portion of funds

Principles:

1. All funds must be used effectively, economically, and will be administered consistent with the ethical administration of public funds.
2. Funds must contribute towards the direct costs of the Project for which the funds were awarded, and the benefits should be directly attributable to the Project.
3. Allocations of existing personnel or existing operating expenses to this Project are not eligible expenses, unless they are clearly identifiable and attributable to the Project.
4. The Host Institution provides for indirect or overhead costs, such as the costs associated with facilities and basic utilities, the purchase and repair of office equipment, administration fees, insurance for equipment, and basic communication devices such as telephones and fax machines. Indirect or overhead costs refer to the ongoing expenses of operating a host institution but cannot be associated with the direct costs of the Project for which the funds were awarded.
5. Travel will always be by the most practical and economical method. When air is the most practical and economical method, only the cost of an economy class flight will be paid for with the provided funds.
6. Capital equipment required to support the Project should not exceed 20% of total project costs.
7. The selected applicant shall keep and maintain all financial records (including invoices) relating to the funds or otherwise to the Project in a manner consistent with generally accepted accounting principles, and all non-financial documents and records relating to the funds or otherwise to the Project.
8. The final determination of eligibility of expenditures rests with CABHI.

Eligible Expenses:

Actual costs must be directly attributable to, and necessary for, the completion of the Project. Project expenses claimed must represent an incremental increase in the selected applicant’s normal operating expenses. Any allocation of existing indirect operating expenses to the Project is not an eligible expense. The selected applicant shall use the Funds solely towards the following categories of eligible expenses:

 [1] Current as of January 1, 2017.  Note that CABHI reserves the right to supplement, amend, repeal or replace this version at any time and from time to time.  Applicants will be required to comply with the version of this Policy in place from time to time.

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