The Canada Foundation for Innovation supports Canada Research Chairs with nearly $4.4 million investment in research infrastructure 

OTTAWA, ONTARIO  — Today, the Government of Canada announced close to $4.4 million in research infrastructure funding through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to support 17 Canada Research Chairs (CRCs) at 12 universities across the country.  

These contributions, made through the CFI’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF), in collaboration with the CRC Program, help institutions in Canada attract and retain top researchers. 

Projects being funded through this joint program range from developing new treatments for prostate cancer at the University of Victoria to studying the properties of dark matter particles at the Université de Montréal. Some highlights include:  

• Better care for Canadians with lung disease: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the second most common cause of hospitalization in Canada, and researchers still believe it is underdiagnosed. The disease, which already costs Canada $1.5 billion annually, is expected to become more common as the country’s population gets older. A team at Toronto Metropolitan University will use CFI-funded software and machine learning technology to help identify new indicators of COPD that can be detected by medical imaging tools, like CT and MRI, and gain a better understanding of how the disease develops and progresses. The new insights will be distributed to clinicians who care for patients with lung diseases.  

• Unlocking medicinal potential of plants: Plants contain naturally occurring compounds called alkaloids, which have valuable medicinal properties. Some well-known alkaloids include caffeine, morphine and quinine. Other alkaloids have antiviral, anticancer and antimicrobial properties. Unfortunately, plants only produce small amounts of these useful compounds, which limit their commercial potential. With CFI-funded lab equipment, researchers at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières will identify the specific plant parts involved in alkaloid production. They will then recreate the process the plants use to produce medically relevant alkaloids in algae “biofactories” to grow larger quantities than can be harvested from individual plants. This bioengineering process will help address pressing global health challenges, from cancer to Alzheimer’s, in an environmentally sustainable way.  

• Innovating for Canada's digital gaming industry:  The more than 800 gaming companies in Canada contributed over $5 billion to the country’s GDP last year. For this growing industry, the CFI-funded Gaming, Analytics, Modeling, Esports, and Social Play (GAMES) Laboratory at the University of Victoria will provide research that will help companies enhance their gaming products and expand into new markets. Researchers at GAMES will observe digital game play, gather performance and physiological data from players, conduct visual analytics, and innovate new technologies that will lead to benefits for Canada’s digital economy.  

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“Canada is in a solid position to attract and retain top-tier researchers because it places a priority on ensuring they have access to the state-of-the-art facilities and equipment they need to drive world-changing discoveries. Government of Canada investments through the CFI’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund allow these bright minds to make breakthroughs, find solutions and innovate for the benefit of the country’s health, economy and people.” 

– Sylvain Charbonneau, President and CEO, Canada Foundation for Innovation 

• These research infrastructure investments are part of $310 million of Government of Canada funding being announced today, which supports science, researchers and students. Read about the other research initiatives being announced here.
• Projects supported through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) will also receive additional funding through the CFI’s Infrastructure Operating Fund (IOF) to cover the costs of operating and maintaining the research infrastructure. The total investment of $4,389,769 includes $1,013,024 from the IOF. 

Cumulative Chart (March 2025)

John R. Evans Leaders Fund

Funding for infrastructure associated with a Canada Research Chair

NOTE:

As part of this announcement, an additional $1,013,024 was awarded under the Infrastructure Operating Fund, a mechanism that assists institutions with the incremental operating and maintenance costs associated with the new infrastructure.