Alberta Innovates Postdoctoral Fellowships: Applications Now Open for Health Innovation Researchers

If you are a postdoctoral researcher passionate about contributing to health innovation, the Alberta Innovates Postdoctoral Fellowships program offers a fantastic chance. Applications are now open for various fellowship streams which aim to recruit and develop top talent in Alberta in fields that translate research into real-world, human-centred care. Here's everything you need to know.

🎓 Fellowship Summary

• Location/Hosts: Alberta, Canada (University of Alberta, University of Calgary, University of Lethbridge)

• Level: Postdoctoral fellowship (after PhD or equivalent doctoral degree)

• Target Group: Postdoctoral researchers who have completed a doctoral degree (PhD, MD, PharmD, DDS, DVM, or equivalent)

• Fields of Research:

  • Lab to Market / Impact (commercialization & real-world application)

  • Clinical Research (study design, data collection, integration into care)

  • Innovative Care Model Implementations (piloting & scaling new care models)

  • Cross-disciplinary collaboration (e.g. One Health approaches)

• Value & Coverage:

  • Recruitment Fellowship: CAD $70,000/year, up to 2 years

  • Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health Innovation (PFHI): CAD $55,000/year, up to 2 years

  • Enhancement Fellowship (EF): CAD $55,000/year, 1 year

  • Top-up option if the fellow already holds another major award

• Duration: 1–2 years depending on fellowship stream

• Application Deadline: Varies by university; e.g. University of Calgary Fall 2025 competition deadline is November 17, 2025

• Start Date: Within 6 months of appointment/offer, depending on the stream

• Eligible To:

  • Applicants with a completed doctoral degree at award start

  • Less than 5 years into a postdoctoral appointment (for PFHI/EF)

  • Incoming postdocs (for Recruitment stream)

  • Those aligned with program priority areas

  • Applicants who have not applied more than once before for this fellowship

🧭 Fellowship Overview

The program consists of three main streams:

1. Recruitment Fellowship – Two-year award ($70,000/year) for incoming postdocs to Alberta.

2. Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health Innovation (PFHI) – Two-year award ($55,000/year) for postdocs already appointed in Alberta.

3. Enhancement Fellowship (EF) – One-year award (~$55,000) providing bridge funding for candidates ranked just below cut-off.

💡 Priority research areas include Lab to Market, Clinical Research, Innovative Care Models, and Cross-disciplinary collaboration.

🎁 Benefits

• Competitive stipends ($55,000–70,000 annually)

• Top-up incentives for holders of other fellowships

• Strong institutional support and mentorship

• Alignment with strategic health innovation areas, boosting visibility and impact

• Flexible streams catering to both new recruits and current postdocs

✅ Eligibility Criteria

• PhD or equivalent doctoral degree completed by award start date

• No more than one prior application to Alberta Innovates fellowships

• Stream-specific requirements:

  • Recruitment: Incoming postdoc, within 6 months of appointment

  • PFHI / EF: Less than 5 years into a postdoc appointment

• Must align with one of the priority research areas

• Project must pass both scientific excellence review and Alberta Innovates relevancy review

📝 Application Procedure

1. Apply through participating university (U of A, U of C, U of L) competition portals

2. Prepare:

   • Research proposal aligned with priority areas

   • Statement of relevancy to health innovation

   • Career statement (including any interruptions)

   • CV and proof of doctoral degree

3. Supervisor support letter and details of institutional resources

4. Letters of reference (varies by institution)

5. Submit before internal and external deadlines

6. Applications undergo scientific review and relevancy assessment by Alberta Innovates

ℹ️ Additional Information

• Continuous intake noted, but deadlines vary by university

• Open to international applicants (no citizenship restrictions)

• Stipend mainly covers salary; benefits may vary by institution

• Supports both health technology development and system transformation

• Inquiries, contact: Maddie.Renouf@albertainnovates.ca

🔗 Official Website

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