Decades of investments in home-grown research will help Canada solve its biggest challenges, but we can still do better

Canada is having a moment. Our world is shifting under the strain of turbulent geopolitics, an altered climate, and a shaky economy, and at the same time, we have ambitious plans to address some of the country’s thorniest problems, from affordable housing to food security to defence. Now is the time to think big and act boldly, and research and innovation will be a key part of how Canada enacts change.

Luckily, our world-class research ecosystem puts us in good shape to respond with the technological solutions and insights we need. That’s thanks to the strategic focus of the federal research funding agencies and the remarkable contributions of hundreds of research institutions across the country, as well as multiple other players who contribute to the innovation vision for Canada. 

But it’s also thanks in part to decades of federal funding for research infrastructure at universities, colleges and research hospitals across the country, to the tune of more than $11 billion, through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). 

Research infrastructure includes critical tools like next-generation DNA sequencers, high-powered microscopes or advanced computers. It also includes whole facilities, like the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization’s (VIDO’s) containment level 4 lab or the University of Victoria’s Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), a network of observatories operating along Canada’s Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

We’re less than 30 years old, and we’ve funded over 13,000 research infrastructure projects, and counting. Researchers simply can’t do their important work without the labs and equipment we provide, so our role is a critical one. Having a funding organization devoted to building long-lasting research capacity through investments in research infrastructure is unique in Canada and the envy of many of our international counterparts.

Our funding model is also unique, and a proven success for engaging partners across sectors and levels of government. That’s because the CFI typically funds up to 40 percent of the capital costs of a research infrastructure project, and the research institutions leverage the rest from the provinces and other partners, including in the private sector.

Since our inception in 1997, we’ve been nimble and ready to respond to the needs of the country, just as we did during the pandemic when we quickly launched a new funding program to upgrade Canada’s capabilities in biosciences and infectious disease research.

So, we’re doing our part to make sure Canadian research is keeping pace with the times and addressing the country’s priorities. But our research and innovation system is not perfect and the void between the world-class research we have a reputation for, and the road to commercialization remains. For decades, we’ve been great at producing research of the highest quality, but to move the needle on Canadian research, we need to figure out how to more effectively engage the private sector. 

At the CFI, we’ve taken a few measures to make that happen. In the most recent funding competition of our flagship program, we invited proposals for core facilities. These are research facilities on university campuses that house multiple research tools and serve researchers from across disciplines. They’re a godsend for small businesses and startups who need a single research and development hub to help them through the critical phases of development, prototyping and testing that ultimately lead to commercialization.

We’re also preparing to implement a framework for funding Major Research Facilities in Canada, which are very large in scale and highly complex. These include VIDO and ONC, for example. These engines of productivity provide research services to businesses and have an extraordinary capacity for generating spin-off companies and new technologies.

And we also operate the Research Facilities Navigator, which lists more than 850 labs across Canada in a convenient directory to help businesses find the R&D support they need.

But clearly, this is not enough. We need to do better and work together — in all sectors — toward a shared, predictable vision for research in Canada. Only then can we truly claim to be among the best in the world for innovation. The CFI has the track-record and expertise to help lead the charge. 

Sylvain Charbonneau
President and CEO
Canada Foundation for Innovation

This article was originally published in the Hill Times Innovation issue on October, 20, 2025.