Alberta FAST - Fast Track to Accelerate Start-up of Clinical Trials
One province. One coordinated pathway.
Alberta FAST is a provincial initiative giving sponsors a single, streamlined pathway to activate clinical trials across participating Alberta institutions. Alberta FAST works closely with investigators, research administration groups, ethics offices, legal teams, and operational stakeholders to support efficient start-up coordination and continuous process improvement.
A Better Experience for Sponsors
 Alberta FAST provides clinical trial sponsors with:
- A single, coordinated intake pathway for industry-sponsored trials
- Faster contracting, budgeting and operational approvals through standardized processes
- Greater transparency and predictability during study activation
- Stronger alignment across Alberta’s clinical trial ecosystem
Why Alberta FAST
Development of the Alberta FAST initiative began in 2026 in response to feedback from pharmaceutical partners regarding suboptimal clinical trial start-up timelines in Alberta. Alberta FAST was established to enhance coordination and operational efficiency across Alberta’s clinical research ecosystem by bringing together academic institutions, health system partners, and operational stakeholders to streamline how studies are initiated and activated.
The initiative addresses the increasing complexity of clinical trial start-up and the need for stronger alignment across institutions. Sponsors often navigate multiple disconnected systems, approval processes, and operational workflows. Alberta FAST improves coordination through centralized intake, harmonized workflows, and standardized documentation approaches, creating a more efficient and predictable pathway to study activation.
Alberta FAST will position Alberta as a top-tier, industry-ready clinical trial environment in Canada — delivering fast study start-up, reliable patient recruitment, and a consistent sponsor experience.
Participating Institutions
Alberta FAST is delivered through a coordinated partnership across Alberta’s leading academic and health system organizations. Together, these partners enable a unified approach to clinical trial start-up across the province.
University of AlbertaÂ
One of Alberta’s core academic health research institutions, providing extensive clinical and research expertise, investigator leadership, and access to diverse patient populations through their affiliated networks.
University of Calgary
One of Alberta’s core academic health research institutions, providing extensive clinical and research expertise, investigator leadership, and access to diverse patient populations through their affiliated networks.
Acute Care Alberta
Supports system-wide integration across major hospital settings, ensuring clinical trial processes are effectively embedded within acute care environments and aligned with operational delivery.
Therapeutic Areas Supported by Alberta FAST
Alberta FAST supports clinical trials across a broad range of therapeutic areas, reflecting the depth of Alberta’s academic and health system research capabilities. The network is designed to enable efficient study start-up regardless of indication, from early-phase research to multi-site late-phase trials. Alberta FAST is not limited to specific therapeutic areas; instead, it provides a consistent, standardized pathway for clinical trial activation across virtually all clinical disciplines.
Governance
Alberta FAST operates collaboratively under the umbrella of Clinical Trials Alberta. Alberta FAST receives strategic direction from its Steering Committee, which includes members from the Universities of Alberta and Calgary, Acute Care Alberta, Cancer Care Alberta, and Alberta Innovates.
Steering Committee
How Alberta FAST Works
Alberta FAST has developed a comprehensive clinical trial start-up strategy that addresses the primary reasons for study start-up delays, enabling faster and more predictable trial activation across Alberta.
Start-Up Strategies Offered by Alberta FAST
A single point of entry for all new clinical trial opportunities, ensuring sponsor inquiries are received, assessed, and routed efficiently.
Alberta FAST identifies and matches suitable Principal Investigators and research teams across participating institutions based on therapeutic expertise, patient populations, research experience, and operational capacity.
Data-driven feasibility assessments using Alberta’s province-wide Electronic Medical Record System (Connect Care) estimate the number of patients meeting protocol eligibility criteria, supporting informed site-selection decisions.
Alberta FAST centrally coordinates and monitors all study start-up activities, providing sponsors with a single point of contact throughout activation.
Detailed SOPs and standardized processes ensure start-up activities are performed consistently and efficiently across participating institutions.
A Universal Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA) approved by participating institutions significantly reduces negotiation timelines; sponsor-specific Master CDAs can be developed if required.
A Universal Clinical Trial Agreement (CTA) is available to streamline contract execution; sponsor-specific Master CTAs can be developed if required.
Pre-approved pricing reduces budget negotiation timelines and improves cost predictability.
Pre-approved ICF template language improves consistency, accelerates ethics submissions, and reduces revision cycles.
A centralized electronic regulatory system provides standardized document management, version control, audit trails, and electronic workflows.
A real-time dashboard tracks milestones, timelines, pending actions, and performance metrics across the provincial portfolio.
EMR Enabled Feasibility & Recruitment
Alberta FAST leverages Alberta’s provincial Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system (EPIC, known in Alberta as Connect Care) to conduct data-driven feasibility assessments and support participant recruitment — providing evidence-based assessments of patient availability and identifying eligible patients for recruitment.
Alberta FAST Performance and Reporting
Alberta FAST is committed to continuous start-up improvement through structured, real-time performance monitoring, tracked from initial study intake through site selection, site initiation and first patient in. Performance insights are shared with sponsors and used to identify bottlenecks and drive workflow improvement.
Metric | Definition | Target (the below are targets and cannot be guaranteed) |
Total trial activation time | Receipt of regulatory package to receipt of all required authorizations | 45 business days |
Ethics approval | Submission of ethics application to approval letter | 40 business days |
Contract completion | Submission of contract request to full execution | 40 business days |
Budget approval | Receipt of proposed budget to approved budget | 30 business days |
AHS Health System Access approval | Submission of request to full approval | 40 business days |
First patient in | Site initiation to first patient recruited | 14 business days |