Established by the Government of Alberta in 1980, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) was mandated to nurture and develop a first-class community of health researchers for the benefit of Albertans and people around the world. AHFMR has invested more than $850 million in a spectrum of research activity in Alberta. More than 8500 researchers and researchers-in-training have been supported at some point in their careers by AFHMR. The Foundation currently funds more than 235 Alberta-based biomedical and health researchers recruited from around the world and more than 350 students and post-doctoral fellows.

In January 2010, under the new Alberta Innovates framework, the AHFMR was restructured and renamed Alberta Innovates Health Solutions.