Alberta Health Services (AHS) is the provincial health authority in the province of Alberta, providing health services to nearly 4.4 million Albertans. AHS was Canada's first province-wide fully integrated health system.

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AHS has a Research and Innovation branch which provides great resources for anyone contemplating clinical research in Alberta. This includes information on the following topics:

•  Patient Recruitment

•  Obtaining Operational Approval

•  Requesting AHS Data Resources

•  Purchased Services (e.g. laboratory services)

•  Ethics Approval Resources

•  Training & Education in Research

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The Strategy For Clinical Health Research, Innovation and Analytics (CHRIA) outlines AHS's vision for clinical research in Alberta:

- Access the 2015-2020 full strategy document

- Access the 2 page summary here

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An important part of Alberta' clinical research strategy are Strategic Clinical Networks (SCNs). Each SCN is made up of a variety of people such as: doctors, nurses, general public, organizations, etc. - all of which are passionate and knowledgeable in a specific area of health. SCNs aim to improve health outcomes for Albertans through research and innovation. 

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NACTRC - Northern Alberta Clinical Trials & Research Center

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NACTRC offers an array of research services which can be selected based on the researcher's specific needs. Their website clearly indicates which services are available for Investigator-Initiated Research projects versus those available for Sponsored Research projects. 

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Here you can also access a Clinical Research Checklist Tool - by answering a few simple questions, a checklist will be auto-generated which will guide you through your research project.

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NACTRC also offers Training and Education for researchers.

Alberta Innovates is Alberta's largest research and innovation agency. They assist researchers with everything from funding, to expertise, to commercialization. Their goal is to stimulate and grow research and innovation across Alberta.

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One of their projects is the Alberta Clinical Research Consortium (ACRC). The ACRC works to eliminate barriers to clinical health research in Alberta by providing services and support researchers. One of the offshoots of the ACRC is the Alberta Clinical Research Roadmap:

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The Alberta Clinical Research Roadmap

This is an excellent tool for new researchers in Alberta to navigate the requirements related to setting up and conducting a research study in Alberta. It includes an interactive navigator (the 'Roadmap'), which defines the requirements in each phase of the project - from concept to close out. This site also includes a comprehensive list of Provincial Services, with links to their respective websites. Lastly, there is also an excellent 'Tools' section which provides downloadable research templates and forms.  

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