A partnership between the Odette World Health Innovation Network (WIN) and Ontario’s Ministry of Government and Consumer Services will allow researchers to track the province’s progress in health care innovation procurement.

The ministry will invest $2.7 million over three years in the project, titled “Innovation Procurement Initiative Measures and Case Studies,” which will involve partners across the Ontario health sector.

“This funding will support WIN to examine procurement from multiple perspectives that will identify key enablers and barriers to procurement of innovative new technologies that offer the opportunity for transformational change across the Ontario health care system,” says WIN chair Anne Snowdon. “Creating a successful procurement model will ensure a thriving health economy resulting in sustainability of our health sector and continuously improved patient care.”

Network researchers will create case studies using key performance indicators and a measurement framework to identify evidence of successful innovation procurement, documenting the impact of innovation adoption processes in up to 25 projects. These case studies will identify barriers and enablers to embedding and scaling health innovation and will be used as education tools for industry, the health sector, and government.

The project is part of an Innovation Procurement Initiative launched by the ministry in 2014 to help make Ontario a leader in the development and adoption of products and processes.