Major research infrastructure investment positions Canada to lead on global innovation
SHERBROOKE, QUEBEC — Today, the Government of Canada is investing more than $552 million through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to provide researchers with the high-impact equipment they need to strengthen Canada’s innovation capacity, deliver lasting benefits for Canadians and build economic resilience.
Karim Bardeesy, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry, made the announcement at the Université de Sherbrooke on behalf of the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions. The major investment, made through the CFI’s Innovation Fund, supports 92 research infrastructure projects at 32 higher education institutions across the country.
The Innovation Fund equips researchers to find solutions in areas that matter most to Canadians including healthcare, energy, food security, quantum technology and AI. It serves to not only invest in new infrastructure, but also to support and renew existing equipment and specialized research hubs, known as core facilities. These facilities are instrumental in attracting, retaining top researchers from across Canada and around the globe. They also maximize equipment use and foster collaborations across sectors and can provide valuable support to the private sector.
Projects being funded through the Innovation Fund include:
- Building Canada’s quantum ecosystem (British Columbia): The Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute (QMI) is a core facility at the University of British Columbia. With CFI support for new and upgraded tools, researchers will be better equipped to synthesize quantum materials, fabricate them into devices, then test and optimize them. Their work spans precision medicine, green energy, smart mining, information processing and climate solutions, including developing technologies for nerve repair, hydrogen fuel storage and advanced mining sensors. By training innovators and fostering collaboration, the Institute is working to scale and anchor these emerging industries in Canada.
- Powering microelectronics innovation from lab to market (Quebec): The Institut Interdisciplinaire d'Innovation Technologique (3IT) is a core facility at the Université de Sherbrooke. It houses one of the largest microelectronics research hubs in Canada accelerates the path from lab to market. The interdisciplinary lab has more than 700 users across several scientific disciplines in academia and the public and private sectors. CFI-funded equipment supports semiconductor commercialization enables innovations including more energy-efficient artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, safer medical technologies and monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions in remote areas such as Canada’s Far North.
- Evolving sustainable poultry farming (Saskatchewan): Responding to the needs of poultry farmers across Canada, the University of Saskatchewan’s new CFI-funded poultry research facility will be unique in North America. Canadian regulators are set to ban conventional cages by 2036 to improve bird welfare. While producers will need to change to free-run or free-range systems, more study is needed on how to use these systems most effectively. The new core facility will support field-leading work to improve animal welfare, increase productivity, mitigate the environmental impacts of the poultry industry, and promote consumer and bird health.
- Securing and shaping Canada’s ocean resources (Nova Scotia): The Ocean Tracking Network (OTN), a CFI-funded national research facility at Dalhousie University, will enhance their aquatic animal tracking systems with additional autonomous underwater vehicles co-developed with industry partners. These upgrades will increase capacity for near real-time monitoring of ocean ecosystems and marine life, supporting everything from fisheries management and conservation in a changing climate to marine spatial planning — all critical for advancing Canada’s current infrastructure priorities, including deep-sea and Arctic ports and renewable offshore energy sources like wind and tidal power.
- Enabling advanced materials breakthroughs with real-world impact (Ontario): The Canadian Neutron and Positron Beam Laboratory (CNBL) at the McMaster Nuclear Reactor offers the only access to neutron beams in Canada. These beams reveal internal material structures that other scientific tools simply can’t detect. With CFI-funded equipment at this core facility, research teams in partnership with industry are developing technologies to safely store nuclear fuel, capture carbon dioxide, innovate battery design and explore new superconducting materials for fusion energy, quantum processors and next-generation MRI technology.
The Honourable Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State for Rural Development, visited the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon today to tour the existing sustainable poultry farming project and highlight additional Saskatchewan projects receiving funding through the Innovation Fund.
Quotes
“Canada is focused on investing in researchers and innovators to advance bold scientific breakthroughs as we build the kind of scientific and academic powerhouse that drives the strongest economy in the G7. This investment through the Canada Foundation for Innovation will equip researchers with cutting-edge, world class facilities that strengthen Canada’s research infrastructure, accelerate discoveries, drive researchers to take their work to the next level and create new opportunities that will benefit Canadians across industries.”
– The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
“Canada’s universities and research institutions are at the forefront of tackling global challenges and creating new economic opportunities. By investing in world-class research infrastructure, we’re ensuring that innovators across the country have the tools they need to advance discovery, collaborate across sectors and help build a stronger, more resilient Canadian economy.”
– Karim Bardeesy, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry
“This significant investment through the CFI’s flagship Innovation Fund will help propel Canada forward by advancing innovation in areas critical to our future. By supporting state-of-the-art labs and equipment, this funding will foster collaboration, attract and train the next generation of talent and accelerate the commercialization of solutions that delivers real benefits for Canadians,”
– Sylvain Charbonneau, President and CEO, Canada Foundation for Innovation
Quick facts
- The Innovation Fund is one of the CFI’s flagship funding programs. It is open to Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions recognized as eligible by the CFI. Typically held every two years, Innovation Fund competitions support a broad range of research programs including those in natural sciences and engineering, health, social sciences, humanities and the arts, as well as interdisciplinary research.
- The 2025 Innovation Fund competition invited proposals in three streams:
- Stream 1: Leading edge of exploration and knowledge generation
- Stream 2: Leading edge of exploration and knowledge generation in the social sciences, humanities and arts
- Stream 3: Creation, renewal and upgrade of core facilities.
- Projects supported through the Innovation Fund will also receive additional funding through the CFI’s Infrastructure Operating Fund (IOF) to cover the costs of operating the research infrastructure. The total investment of $552,117,309 million includes $127,411,689 million from the IOF.
- The CFI typically contributes up to 40 percent of a project’s research infrastructure costs. Research institutions secure the remaining 60 percent through partnerships with provincial and territorial governments, industry and other public, private and not-for-profit organizations.
- The 2027 Innovation Fund competition is set to launch this spring.
Associated links
- Learn more about the Canada Foundation for Innovation
- Find details on the CFI’s Innovation Fund
About the Canada Foundation for Innovation
With a bold, future-looking mandate, the Canada Foundation for Innovation equips researchers to be global leaders in their field and to respond to emerging challenges. Our investments in state-of-the-art tools, instruments and facilities at universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions underpin both curiosity- and mission-driven research that cuts across disciplines and bridges all sectors. The research infrastructure we fund mobilizes knowledge, spurs innovation and commercialization, and empowers the talented minds of a new generation.
Related products
A full list of our funded projects, as well as stories about the facilities we fund, is available at Innovation.ca. For updates, follow us on Bluesky, LinkedIn and X @InnovationCA and subscribe to our YouTube channel to find videos about the CFI and its transformative research projects.
Contacts
Sara Frizzell
Media Relations and Social Media Specialist
Canada Foundation for Innovation
613 943-2580
sara.frizzell [at] innovation.ca (sara[dot]frizzell[at]innovation[dot]ca)
Media Relations
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
media [at] ised-isde.gc.ca (media[at]ised-isde[dot]gc[dot]ca)
2025 Innovation Fund
(by Lead institution)
List of approved projects by institution
| Project Title | Maximum CFI Contribution |
|---|
| Deployment of Near-Shore Certified Research Platform for Oceanographic Research in Eastern Arctic | $5,349,898 |
| 1 project | $5,349,898 |
| Non-Terrestrial Networks for Accelerating Canada's Ubiquitous Connectivity and Digital Future (NTN-CAN) Collaborating: Polytechnique Montréal, University of Ottawa | $5,137,790 |
| 1 project | $5,137,790 |
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
| Next-Generation PET and MRI Neuroimaging Core for Diagnosis and Treatment of Brain Health Illnesses | $4,514,400 |
| 1 project | $4,514,400 |
| Water RESILIENCE: Responsive Innovation and Leadership in Climate-based Water Engineering | $1,371,384 |
| Quantifying the ocean carbon climate system in a changing world Collaborating: Université du Québec à Rimouski | $3,018,429 |
| Accelerating ocean tracking to support near real time management | $2,615,926 |
| 3 projects | $7,005,739 |
ICES (Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences)
| ICES Core Facility: People, Patients and Populations Data Analytics and Research Environment (P3DARE) | $4,981,000 |
| 1 project | $4,981,000 |
| An Integrated Platform for Agro-Environmental Modelling to Mitigate Impacts of Climate Change on Soil, Water and Crop | $2,315,475 |
| CritMetThermo – Thermochemistry infrastructure platform for critical metals research and development Collaborating: Polytechnique Montréal, Université du Québec - École de technologie supérieure | $4,170,606 |
| Douglas Cerebral Imaging Centre - High Field Animal and Post-mortem imaging. | $4,158,712 |
| CONNECT: cell-cell COmmunicatioN Networks: Exploring Changes and Transformations in immune health & disease | $2,580,090 |
| The Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology: The Sound of the Future & the Future of Sound | $3,618,791 |
| Imaging Parkinsons Disease Across Scales | $6,492,693 |
| Biofabrication robuste et avancée pour la valorisation d'organoïdes (BRAVO) Collaborating: McGill University Health Centre, Polytechnique Montréal, Université de Sherbrooke, University of Ottawa | $6,056,914 |
| Unveiling the microsecond radio sky Collaborating: Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, The University of British Columbia, University of Toronto | $5,317,762 |
| Canadian Center for Computational Genomics Collaborating: Université de Sherbrooke, Université Laval | $1,876,000 |
| McGill Platform for Neuroinflammation Research (MPNIR) | $5,531,670 |
| 10 projects | $42,118,713 |
| CCEM - Building the Canadian Semiconducting and Critical Mineral Supply Chain through Imaging and Metrology | $15,521,687 |
| McMaster Archaeological Centre for Minimally Invasive/Non-Destructive Science" (MACMINDS) | $6,687,059 |
| Building a Future for Canadian Neutron Scattering, Part 2 Collaborating: Brock University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Queen's University, St. Francis Xavier University, Toronto Metropolitan University, Université de Montréal, University of Alberta, University of British Columbia (The), University of Calgary, University of Guelph, University of Regina, University of Saskatchewan, University of Toronto, University of Western Ontario (The), University of Windsor | $13,457,369 |
| 3 projects | $35,666,115 |
Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
| Molecular Oncology Core Research Resources | $3,286,556 |
| 1 project | $3,286,556 |
| Archaeological Remote Sensing: Mapping Lost Landscapes | $528,532 |
| 1 project | $528,532 |
| Sustainable Hydrogen Infrastructure for Transitioning towards Community Scale (SHIFT) Collaborating: Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, University of Victoria | $7,063,088 |
| ATLAS Tier-1 Centre and Distributed Computing at the LHC Energy Frontier Collaborating: Carleton University, McGill University, The University of British Columbia, Université de Montréal, University of Alberta, University of Toronto, University of Victoria, York University | $5,376,964 |
| 2 projects | $12,440,052 |
| A Translational Genomics and Microbiome Centre for Catalyzing New Discoveries Collaborating: The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto | $6,219,915 |
| 1 project | $6,219,915 |
The Hospital for Sick Children
| SickKids Research Precision Child Health | $16,046,834 |
| 1 project | $16,046,834 |
| Vital real-time health data for Trials, Artificial Intelligence, and a Learning Health System (VITAL) Collaborating: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Sinai Health System, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, University Health Network, University of Alberta, University of Calgary, University of Toronto | $24,615,750 |
| 1 project | $24,615,750 |
| Studia : moderniser l’infrastructure de recherche Érudit à l’ère de l’IA générative | $1,670,000 |
| Research platform for Emissions, Atmospheric Chemistry, and Health Collaborating: Concordia University, McGill University | $1,680,358 |
| A Canadian Contribution to the ANDES instrument for the European Extremely Large Telescope Collaborating: McGill University, Royal Military College of Canada, Université Laval, University of British Columbia (The), University of Toronto | $11,274,998 |
| Measuring Energy and Time in All Regimes for Materials Discovery Collaborating: McGill University, University of Toronto | $10,944,434 |
| INNOVILAB : Centre d'excellence pédiatrique en innovation technologique et réadaptation de précision Collaborating: CHU Sainte-Justine, Université du Québec - École de technologie supérieure, Université du Québec à Montréal | $2,084,890 |
| OPTICS: Ophthalmology Platform Towards Innovation in Clinical Solutions Collaborating: Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) | $3,688,610 |
| 6 projects | $27,654,680 |
| 3IT Core Facility: infrastructure for industry-compatible research in microelectronics design, integration and packaging | $2,332,884 |
| 1 project | $2,332,884 |
Université du Québec - École de technologie supérieure
| Laboratoire d’essais accélérés sur chaussées en pleine grandeur | $1,416,261 |
| Research Center for Battery Innovation and Integration (RC-BI2) | $2,560,000 |
| Platform for the manufacturing and characterization of cyberphysical micro systems | $447,950 |
| 3 projects | $4,424,211 |
Université du Québec – Institut national de la recherche scientifique
| Advanced Characterization Tools Enabling High Temporal- and Spatial-Resolution for Sustainable Development | $3,214,433 |
| H2-CO2 Transition : un nouveau laboratoire de l’Université du Québec pour le captage et le stockage des gaz Collaborating: Université du Québec à Chicoutimi | $2,086,289 |
| Microbiome manipulation platform to improve the sustainability of agriculture | $1,770,995 |
| 3 projects | $7,071,717 |
Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue
| After spruce : rethinking the eastern boreal Collaborating: Université du Québec à Montréal | $2,659,181 |
| Environment and Mine Research Complex (EMiRCo) | $1,500,000 |
| 2 projects | $4,159,181 |
Université du Québec en Outaouais
| Développer des systèmes de pointe dédiés à la compréhension des mécanismes impliqués dans la sensibilité parentale Collaborating: Université de Montréal, Université du Québec - Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Université Laval, University of Ottawa | $578,298 |
| 1 project | $578,298 |
| Advanced materials and process optimization for sustainable aluminum anode production | $1,600,000 |
| Des milieux confinés pour de nouvelles approches durables dans les secteurs forestier et environnemental | $791,477 |
| Vascos : identification of bone-derived factors to predict early vascular alterations in chronic diseases | $2,110,000 |
| LAVIE: Living Labs for Oncology Supportive Care and Rehabilitation | $1,500,000 |
| The Canadian Optogenetics and Vectorology Foundry Collaborating: Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de la Capitale Nationale | $3,720,000 |
| 5 projects | $9,721,477 |
| Revolutionizing AI-Driven Drug Discovery Through Large-Scale Data Generation Collaborating: University of Toronto | $2,796,318 |
| Enabling advanced preclinical modelling for the translation of biomedical innovations | $3,441,302 |
| 2 projects | $6,237,620 |
| nanoFAB: Enhancing Laboratory Equipment for Versatile Advanced Technology, Engineering and Science (ELEVATES) | $14,511,030 |
| Innovation for Exploring the Islet Microenvironment | $3,914,822 |
| Microscale records of Earth resources – from formation to environmental impacts and remediation | $3,565,420 |
| 3 projects | $21,991,272 |
University of British Columbia (The)
| BioDevice Foundry | $2,133,920 |
| Pacific Battery Innovation Centre (PBIC) | $2,655,910 |
| xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Archaeology Centre | $3,386,656 |
| Interior Salishan Studies Centre | $1,494,230 |
| Connected Ultrasound (cUS) | $3,797,304 |
| Second-generation instrumentation for the CCAT telescope Collaborating: University of Toronto | $2,193,220 |
| RadMol : A Radioactive Molecule Lab Collaborating: University of Manitoba, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo | $6,914,683 |
| Quantum Matter Institute Core Facilities (QMI-CF): Creating the Building Blocks for Future Quantum Technologies | $3,450,000 |
| Canadian GRAIN - leading the next frontier in astrophysics Collaborating: Bishop's University, McGill University, Université de Montréal, University of Lethbridge, University of Manitoba | $5,539,817 |
| ASTRID consortium: From atomic to in situ structural analysis of drug target complexes at the host/pathogen interface Collaborating: Simon Fraser University | $11,434,220 |
| Cytometry Operations for Research Excellence (CORE): Redefining boundaries for transformative immune-oncology research | $887,172 |
| UBC MRI Research Centre Expansion: Integration of Multi-nuclear MR Technology to Assess Brain Disease and Injury | $1,870,249 |
| UBC's Life Sciences Institute's core facilities | $3,400,000 |
| Mobility Innovation Core | $1,463,060 |
| 14 projects | $50,620,441 |
| The Centre for Far-from-Equilibrium Nanostructured Cleantech Materials (CeFar) | $4,257,999 |
| Wastewater-based surveillance - A platform technology to safeguard health, society and the environment | $4,001,668 |
| Canadian Centre for Biofilm Research (CCBR) | $5,841,511 |
| 3 projects | $14,101,178 |
| Centre for Biodiversity Genomics Collaborating: McGill University, Simon Fraser University, University of Victoria, University of Western Ontario (The), York University | $9,208,765 |
| 1 project | $9,208,765 |
| Renewing Manitoba's Material Advantage: Accelerating Multidisciplinary Research at the Manitoba Institute for Materials | $6,000,000 |
| Enabling High Intensity Collisions and High Granularity Detectors for the Electron-Ion Collider Collaborating: Mount Allison University, University of Regina, University of Victoria | $5,336,759 |
| 2 projects | $11,336,759 |
| Open Science Infrastructure for Canad(ian)a: Digital Collections of the Future Collaborating: Dalhousie University, Simon Fraser University, Université de Sherbrooke, Université du Québec à Rimouski, University of Guelph, University of Toronto, University of Victoria | $4,024,762 |
| Harnessing iPSC and organoid technologies for therapeutic discovery in neurological and neuromuscular disease | $5,742,919 |
| Mid-Infrared Advanced Canadian Laser Enterprise (MIRACLE) | $7,540,390 |
| 3 projects | $17,308,071 |
| GENerate Collaboratory | $866,798 |
| 1 project | $866,798 |
| Sustainable eggs, improved animal welfare and enhanced food security through new technologies | $6,230,112 |
| The Story Collider: Listening, Telling and Retelling | $3,017,227 |
| 2 projects | $9,247,339 |
| Transformative Expansion: Elevating OCCAM to Global Prominence in Materials Characterization | $7,770,000 |
| Packaging Techniques for Accelerated Computing and Power Semiconductor Modules | $3,000,000 |
| Canadian Centre for Environmental NMR Development, Application and Research (CEDAR) | $6,136,000 |
| Quantum clockworks | $2,400,000 |
| Integrated facility for lattice engineering of quantum materials | $3,900,000 |
| 5 projects | $23,206,000 |
| Centre for Advanced Materials and Related Technology - Characterisation Upgrade Project | $2,950,000 |
| Unlocking New Knowledge of the Ocean with NEPTUNE Collaborating: Simon Fraser University, University of Alberta | $1,650,000 |
| Chiral Belle: Leveraging New Physics through a Polarization Upgrade of the SuperKEKB Particle Collider Collaborating: McGill University, St. Francis Xavier University, University of British Columbia (The), University of Manitoba | $4,172,000 |
| Cutting edge infrastructure to support next generation proteomics research | $2,700,000 |
| 4 projects | $11,472,000 |
University of Western Ontario (The)
| Advancing Canada’s sustainability by mitigating hydrogen-promoted degradation Collaborating: Queen's University, Royal Military College of Canada | $9,728,230 |
| Canadian Barrier Coatings Initiative: Protection of Metallic Surfaces Through Molecular-level Innovation Collaborating: McGill University, Queen's University | $5,278,642 |
| Comprehensive image guided biomarker discovery platform Collaborating: University Health Network, University of Ottawa | $4,083,223 |
| RehabInnovation: A Hub for Advanced Mobility and Communication Technologies | $2,476,930 |
| 4 projects | $21,567,025 |
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 92 projects | $424,705,620 |
NOTE
As part of this announcement, an additional $127,411,689 was awarded under the Infrastructure Operating Fund (IOF), a mechanism that assists institutions with the incremental operating and maintenance costs associated with the new infrastructure.