A Paradigm Shift to Strengthen Canada’s Ecosystem for Science & Research Infrastructure

Research infrastructures are the backbone of our science and research ecosystem. They serve as critical assets that drive scientific collaboration, innovation, technological advancement, improve public safety and national security, attract world-class talent, and train the next generation of scientists. Decades of investments in state-of-the-art laboratories, facilities, and specialized equipment in Canada have given scientists in this country the tools they need to make ground-breaking discoveries and innovate in areas that help safeguard the country’s national interests and ensure its economic prosperity.

In Canada, research infrastructures are enabled by a number of organizations spanning the government, academic, and industry sectors. So, who are the players?

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) funds research infrastructure at academic and non-profit institutions in partnership with the provinces. Public Services and Procurement Canada’s (PSPC) Laboratories Canada is transforming federal laboratories into a modern, collaborative, digitally enabled, and sustainable national network of science hubs.

They work with other key funders and delivery partners, including Shared Services Canada, the National Research Council (NRC), Innovation Science and Economic Development, Canada’s three research granting agencies, and the Digital Research Alliance of Canada.

Since 2018, the Government of Canada has made large-scale investments in research, digital, and technology infrastructures. Among these, it has invested $3.7 billion in Laboratories Canada and $1 billion in the NRC to modernize and revitalize federal laboratories. And it has invested in strengthening the research capacity of universities, colleges and research hospitals through the CFI — the Government of Canada having committed more than $3.3 billion, and partners, including provinces, approximately $4 billion.

Since each organization has its own mandate and priorities, there is too often a lack of coordination across the ecosystem that limits Canada’s ability to fully leverage investments and maximize scientific and socioeconomic impacts, as was highlighted by the 2023 Report of the Advisory Panel on the Federal Research Support System.

Addressing fragmentation requires a paradigm shift in how Canada envisions, plans, funds, and manages its research infrastructure. This includes fostering cross-sectoral collaborations and co-investments in research infrastructure and exploring the idea of a cohesive national infrastructure strategy to ensure we have a well-integrated, future-ready ecosystem.

Research infrastructures are fundamental to enabling the scientific activities required to address society’s grand challenges such as climate change, pandemics, rapid technological change, and evolving security threats. However, these complex challenges also require collaboration across disciplines and sectors. This cross-sectoral collaboration is especially critical to accelerate innovation, support commercialization, and generate breakthrough advancements in rapidly evolving, high-impact fields, such as quantum, defence technologies, and artificial intelligence (AI).

An example of this collaborative approach is Laboratories Canada’s TerraCanada advanced materials research facility, located in the Sheridan Research Park in Mississauga, Ont. This facility brings together federal scientists from the NRC and Natural Resources Canada, as well as industry collaborators and academic partners, like the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo. It hosts equipment from both universities and uses AI-driven robotics to speed up the discovery of novel minerals, materials and structures by 10-fold. The facility is also a member of the German-Canadian Materials Acceleration Centre, which leverages research and infrastructure capacity at an international scale.

Canada’s Major Research Facilities (MRFs) are also hives of cross-sectoral collaboration, and another model to draw on. Supported with CFI funding, these large-scale and complex facilities perform at the highest level of international science and are well positioned to support the country’s strategic scientific and economic priorities. 

Take Ocean Networks Canada. It relies on partnerships to meet its mandate to advance science, climate solutions, maritime safety, and coastal community resilience through its vast network of ocean observatories. Working across sectors, it can pivot to address strategic priorities, such as the current drive to develop Canadian defense capacity. Its long-established collaborations with the ocean technology industry, for example, have positioned ONC to work with the private sector to develop sensor systems installed on undersea cables, moorings and autonomous vehicles that are essential for both scientific observing and security monitoring. 

These types of research infrastructures require significant resources to plan, build, operate, and maintain over the long term, and in several cases exceed the funding capacity of any single organization. In a period of fiscal restraint, co-investments between institutions and across all sectors of society are vital. They provide an effective approach to improving funding efficiency and minimizing duplication of resources and activities. To ensure these partnerships succeed, it is important to create an environment where cross-sectoral partners have the support needed to sustain long-lasting and relevant collaborations.

France, the United Kingdom, other G7 countries, and the European Union have fostered this environment through research infrastructure strategies and roadmaps that set priorities and support public‑private cooperation. The advisory panel report also touched on the need for this type of “shared vision” for the Canadian science, research and innovation ecosystem to “orient the various players in the same direction.” For Canada to become the world-leading hub for science and innovation it aspires to, we need a cohesive, long-term strategy that incentivizes collaboration and aligns priorities, funding, and research infrastructure planning.

As key players in the landscape, the CFI and Laboratories Canada are dedicated to working with their partners to strengthen Canada’s science and research infrastructure ecosystem. To maximize the value of Canada’s investments, a national research infrastructure strategy can transform how the government delivers on science, drives co-investment, resource sharing, and cross-sectoral collaboration. Focusing and amplifying our strengths through intentional, planned, and strategic collaboration will accelerate research and innovation, and will position Canada to become one of the strongest economies in the G7.

This article was originally published in the Canadian Science Policy Magazine on November 19, 2025.