Canadian research at a crossroads
The CFI is born
The CFI takes shape
How a Legacy of Innovation was Created
Fueling brain gain
Collaboration and partnerships
The future of the CFI

As the 20th century drew to a close, a dedicated group of Canadians came together to share their aspirations for this country. They envisioned a nation of innovation. A place where creative sparks could be transformed into scientific breakthroughs. A country that would be a beacon for the best and brightest researchers, and a hotbed of ideas that could change the world.

But something was missing. This vision of Canada would remain a dream if the research community didn’t get the support it needed. And infrastructure—the equipment, the laboratories, and the buildings that researchers use to do their work—was identified as one of the key components to achieve this vision.

In the mid-1990s, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and other interested Canadians made a commitment to advance Canada’s research capacity. A joint brief was submitted to the federal government proposing a new infrastructure program. It was a blueprint that would contribute to building a nation of innovation that would benefit all Canadians.

Although the idea was relatively easy to articulate, it faced enormous obstacles. A decade ago, Canadians were debating the impact of brain drain which was luring the best and brightest minds to other countries. At the same time Canadian governments at all levels were struggling to rein in spending and adjust to an increasingly competitive global economy.

Canada was at a crossroads. Without the cutting-edge tools and 21st century laboratories that are vital to keeping Canadian researchers at the forefront of science, we risked becoming a bit player in the global knowledge economy. Could we be content to rest on past scientific achievements such as the discovery of insulin, the electron microscope, the global positioning system, and the Canadarm? Fortunately for a new generation of researchers, Canadians said “no.” The Government of Canada recognized the critical infrastructure needs of its research institutions, and responded by creating the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

In April 1997, the CFI was established by an Act of Parliament. It represented a new approach to strengthening Canada’s research capacity. It would be an independent, non-profit corporation that would fund research infrastructure.

In August, the CFI held a national consultation on program proposals with the research community, business, and governments. The response was overwhelming. The CFI had struck a chord: Canadian researchers were energized by an optimism that had been missing for years. The prospect of conducting leading-edge research in Canada became a reality, and the stage was set to move from brain drain to brain gain.

In December 1997, the CFI’s Board of Directors held its first meeting and approved funding mechanisms and eligibility guidelines. The first deadline for submissions was set for May 1998.

The CFI’s Board of Directors had earmarked $400 million for the competition, but the demand substantially exceeded initial projections. Almost 800 proposals were submitted by research institutions, requesting close to $1.2 billion in funding. Over the next several years, the CFI’s budget was increased and its mandate extended several times.

Since its creation in 1997, the CFI has committed $3.8 billion in support of 5,585 projects at 128 research institutions in 64 municipalities across Canada. With the demand for state-of-the art infrastructure at an all-time high, the CFI is looking toward a bright future—one based on a solid 10-year foundation of success.

Support from the CFI enables institutions to set their own research priorities in response to areas of strategic importance to Canada. Researchers can better compete with the best from around the world, which helps to position Canada in the global, knowledge-based economy. CFI support is intended to:

• strengthen Canada’s capacity for innovation;
• attract and retain highly skilled research personnel in Canada;
• stimulate the training of young Canadians through research;
• promote networking, collaboration, and multidisciplinarity among researchers;
• ensure the optimal use of research infrastructure within and among Canadian institutions.

Through its investments in infrastructure, the CFI also creates the necessary conditions for sustainable, long-term economic growth—including the creation of spin-off ventures and the commercialization of discoveries.

Of the many factors that make the CFI successful in delivering its mandate, two clearly stand out. First, the CFI is committed to supporting brain gain. Second, the CFI recognizes that collaboration and strong partnerships are essential to success.

“If you build it, they will come” neatly describes the thinking behind the CFI’s efforts to help institutions attract the best and brightest researchers. Since 2001, the availability of state-of-the-art infrastructure has been credited with attracting almost 8,050 new faculty members to Canadian universities. Of these, nearly 1,700 came from the United States and close to 1,500 from other countries. CFI funding is helping these researchers tackle complex problems in Canada; work they could only dream about doing before.

The CFI’s approach is firmly rooted in the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The CFI encourages partnerships on three primary levels¬—between researchers, between governments and funding agencies, and between researchers and the private sector.

CFI-funded infrastructure provides the incentive for multidisciplinary and collaborative research. Whether bringing Canadian researchers together or encouraging cooperation with researchers from outside Canada, the CFI supports the relationships that lead to groundbreaking innovations.

The Government of Canada has assumed increasing responsibility, particularly during the past decade, for the four key pillars of the public-sector research and development enterprise—people, ideas, institutional support, and infrastructure. Specialized research funding agencies deliver that mandate by supporting researchers (salaries, direct costs of research) and institutions (indirect costs of research, infrastructure).

Innovation requires not only a great idea, but also a great partnership between those generating the ideas and those translating them into benefits for Canada and the world. CFI-funded infrastructure allows researchers to partner with the private sector to bring ideas from the lab to the marketplace—improving our quality of life and strengthening Canada’s economy.

Over the past 10 years, 129 research institutions in 64 Canadian municipalities have benefited from CFI funding. The jobs and economic development that stem from this leading-edge research help Canada’s communities compete in the 21st century. According to researchers, CFI-funded infrastructure has played a key role in creating hundreds of spin-off companies, patents and improved products, processes, and services.

Knowledge-intensive economies and societies of the 21st century will be characterized by their cutting-edge research and a highly educated and skilled workforce, as well as a business, regulatory, and social environment that encourages entrepreneurship and creative thinking.

The CFI is committed to funding infrastructure to enable research that improves the lives of Canadians, and will focus on the future by concentrating on five critical challenges that lie ahead:

• Evolving the infrastructure to meet new research demands;
• Sustaining previous investments in infrastructure at state-of-the-art levels;
• Fostering knowledge translation;
• Promoting partnerships between academia and industry;
• Enhancing the international impact of Canada’s R&D enterprise.

Read more examples about the impacts of CFI investments in our online magazine: www.InnovationCanada.ca

Learn more about the CFI: www.innovation.ca