HealthPRO Canada News
National Call to Market: Healthcare Innovation Den 2026
Bring Your Innovation to the National Stage
Canada’s healthcare system is facing sustained pressure across three critical fronts: rising and often avoidable costs, constrained hospital capacity and patient flow, and inequitable access to care. Across the country, there are solutions ready to make a meaningful impact—if they can reach the right partners, decision-makers, and pathways to scale.
In response, the National Healthcare Innovation Council, in partnership with HealthPRO Canada, is launching the inaugural Healthcare Innovation Den—a national stage for commercially ready Canadian healthcare innovators to present bold, scalable solutions aligned to defined system priorities.
Selected innovators will present live before a national judging panel and an audience of 700+ healthcare executives, procurement leaders, and system decision-makers—competing for prize funding and the opportunity to access structured procurement pathways and advance toward national scale.
Together, they will evaluate innovations that are commercially ready, procurement viable, and positioned to deliver measurable system-level impact.
To access the application package, including the Evaluation Criteria and Problem Statements, please contact us at:innovationaccelerator@healthprocanada.com
Submission Deadline: Monday, May 12, 2026
Purpose
The Healthcare Innovation Den is designed to:
Selection Process
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Call to Market Opens: |
The Healthcare Innovation Den: ✓ Is not a procurement process ✓ Does not guarantee a contract ✓ Does not confer preferred supplier status ✓ Does not create contractual rights or obligations Any future procurement activity will follow HealthPRO Canada’s standard procurement policies and applicable regulatory frameworks |
About our Den Judges
Together, they will evaluate innovations that are commercially ready, procurement viable, and positioned to deliver measurable system-level impact.
Disclaimer: This initiative is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Dragon’s Den television franchise
About the National Healthcare Innovation Council
The National Healthcare Innovation Council is a cross-jurisdictional advisory body composed of senior healthcare system leaders, procurement executives, and innovation experts from across Canada.
The Council’s mandate is to identify scalable Canadian healthcare innovations, remove system level barriers to adoption, and support structured pathways from validation to national scale within publicly funded healthcare systems.
About HealthPRO Canada
HealthPRO Canada is the country’s national group contracting provider serving over 2,100 publicly funded healthcare organizations across all provinces. Through structured, compliant procurement processes, HealthPRO Canada manages thousands of contracts spanning pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, capital equipment, nutrition, and support services.
As the procurement partner supporting the Council, HealthPRO Canada provides the contracting expertise, policy alignment, and national scale infrastructure required to translate validated innovation into formal procurement pathways.
2026 Focus Areas
Applicants must fit into one of the 3 categories below.
Each category winner will receive:
A cash prize funded by external sponsorship contributions for HealthPRO Canada’s 30th AGM & Partner Summit (amount to be confirmed).
In addition to the cash prize, category winners will receive:
✓ National recognition during HealthPRO Canada’s 30th Anniversary AGM
✓ Inclusion in HealthPRO Canada’s Innovation Accelerator Program (subject to eligibility criteria)
✓ A structured procurement pathway assessment aligned to potential national scale
✓ Advisory support to explore appropriate contracting mechanisms
✓ Guidance on scaling across jurisdictions within publicly funded healthcare systems
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About HealthPRO Canada’s |
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Audience & National Exposure
The Healthcare Innovation Den will be presented to an audience of 700+ in-person and virtual attendees, including:
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✓ Hospital CEOs and CFOs |
✓ Government stakeholders |
Attendees will represent healthcare organizations across all provinces. This is a rare opportunity to present before a concentrated national audience of procurement and system decision-makers.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must:
✓ Be commercially ready (beyond pilot stage)
✓ Have required regulatory approvals (where applicable)
✓ Demonstrate measurable evidence of impact
✓ Serve the publicly funded healthcare system as primary end user
✓ Identify funding model and payer pathway
✓ For digital solutions: demonstrate cybersecurity and privacy compliance
Solutions still in early development, without validated outcomes, or without commercialization readiness will not be eligible.
Preference will be given to Made-in-Canada innovators (see definition below); however, applications are welcome from all applicants.
Definition of “Canadian Innovation”
Applicants describing their solution as “Made in Canada” or “Product of Canada” must ensure that such claims align with the Competition Bureau of Canada’s guidance on origin representations.
For non-food products, the Competition Bureau generally states that:
“Made in Canada” requires that at least 51% of total direct manufacturing or production costs are incurred in Canada and that the last substantial transformation occurred in Canada.
“Product of Canada” generally requires that at least 98% of total direct manufacturing or production costs are Canadian.
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that any origin claims are accurate and compliant with applicable legislation.
For full guidance, please refer to the Competition Bureau of Canada’s publication on “Product of Canada” and “Made in Canada” claims: https://competition-bureau.canada.ca
Submission & Evaluation Framework
Applicants will complete a structured online submission. Responses must be concise, evidence based, and aligned to measurable system impact and commercialization readiness.
Submissions will be assessed using a standardized scoring framework across the following domains:
1. Company Overview: Information regarding legal entity, leadership, market presence, and organizational capability to scale.
2. Problem & System Impact: Clear definition of the healthcare system challenge addressed, quantified system burden, and alignment to the selected Healthcare Innovation Den category. Assessment will consider strength of problem–solution fit and magnitude of potential impact.
3. Solution Overview: Description of the product or service, differentiation from alternatives, and identification of key users and stakeholders. Assessment will consider clarity, relevance, and value proposition within publicly funded systems.
4. Evidence & Outcomes: Quantitative impact data, implementation case studies, and health system references where available. Assessment will prioritize measurable outcomes and credibility of results.
5. Commercial & Regulatory Readiness: Revenue model, current deployments, regulatory status, and market validation. Assessment will focus on procurement readiness and commercial maturity.
6. Implementation & Scale: Onboarding requirements, integration needs, time to implementation, ROI timeline, and identified barriers to scale. Assessment will evaluate feasibility, scalability across jurisdictions, and alignment with procurement pathways.
To access the application package, including the Evaluation Criteria and Problem Statements, please contact us at:innovationaccelerator@healthprocanada.com
