Research stories

Our investments support research that benefits Canadians

In CFI-funded labs and facilities across the country, researchers in all stages of their careers are making discoveries, supporting a robust innovation ecosystem and helping solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. 

An outdoor scene at dusk with a stone pavilion and several tipis arranged in a circle with bleachers.

Wildlife ecology done “in a good way”

Researcher Jesse Popp works alongside Indigenous communities to understand their most pressing questions about biodiversity and the plants and animals on the Land
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An outdoor scene at dusk with a stone pavilion and several tipis arranged in a circle with bleachers.
article
Ontario

Wildlife ecology done “in a good way”

Researcher Jesse Popp works alongside Indigenous communities to understand their most pressing questions about biodiversity and the plants and animals on the Land
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podcast
Nova Scotia

Jan Rainey is untangling the mysteries of spider silks

The Dalhousie University researcher is looking to create synthetic versions of spider's silk that have the potential to help heal damaged nerves and damaged hearts
All podcasts
video

Transforming research instincts into a successful business (March webinar)

Part of our Future You webinar series. This webinar features a new generation of researchers who share their challenges and successes as they made the move from researcher to entrepreneur. Watch the video to gain insights and receive valuable tips on how to start your own business.
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A white swirl of air inside a large enclosure.
article
Ontario

Summoning the storm, at the Wind Engineering, Energy and Environment Research Facility

By simulating intense winds and weather, a research facility at Western University tests how buildings will hold up under catastrophic conditions
Two people, one standing, one seated in a grassy area with pieces of research equipment around them.
article
Saskatchewan,Ontario

Mounting an early warning system for Canada’s looming water crisis, through the Global Water Futures Observatories

A network of observation systems across the country’s freshwater basins provides urgently needed data to help ward off the devastating impacts of floods, droughts and other water crises plaguing Canada
A person in a lab coat looks closely at an apparatus that is part of a black and grey machine in a lab.
article
Alberta,Quebec,Ontario,British Columbia

Tweaking biology for health and biotech solutions, at GlycoNet Integrated Services

A pan-Canadian network of over 170 researchers brings together the country’s expertise in the field of glycomics to create solutions in medicine and other bio-based industries
Aerial view of at least six lakes surrounded by forest.
article
Ontario

Keeping pollution in check, at the world’s freshwater laboratory

A network of lakes in Ontario provides a globally unique perspective on how human activity affects lakes and watersheds, so we can find ways to preserve them
A close-up view of a jewel-toned flying insect.
article
Ontario

Cataloguing all the world’s living things, at the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics

The University of Guelph is building a powerful inventory of every species on Earth in an effort to monitor and conserve biodiversity in the face of crisis
A close-up view of a vacuum chamber with several points of light in focus inside a circular window.
article
Quebec

Making movies of matter as it changes, with the Advanced Laser Light Source

Researchers at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique use Canada’s most powerful laser to probe everything from how plants grow to how metals behave under stress
Distant galaxies appear as bright glowing spots in this Webb telescope image, with some smeared by gravitational lensing; foreground stars appear bright with six-pointed diffraction spikes, owing to the shape of Webb's mirrors.
article
Quebec

How Canadian research could help determine if we are alone in the universe

The James Webb Space Telescope has a uniquely Canadian invention aboard that, with help from research on the ground, reveals the composition of the atmosphere of planets outside our solar system and their potential to harbour life
Four portraits laid out in a 2 by 2 formation over a white background with blue circles.
podcast
Ontario,British Columbia

Social justice for a more empathetic world

Four inspiring researchers talk about how knowledge and understanding can create a more just tomorrow, from climate activism to social justice learning to queer rights to public health and wellbeing
UBC researcher Anna Blakney poses for a photo.
podcast
British Columbia

Vaccination consteRNAtion

Anna Blakney wants to share with the world the power and potential of messenger RNA vaccines. She uses TikTok to post facts and fight fears
Computer-generated image of a person’s profile, holding their head where their brain is inflamed.
article
Quebec

Concussions: A dizzying field of research!

There are 200,000 concussions every year in Canada. If you’re not an elite athlete, your odds of having a concussion are one in 10,000. Professional athletes, on the other hand, will experience three or four by the age of 20. But since there is no way of objectively diagnosing a concussion, and those affected are notoriously reluctant to report their symptoms, the real numbers are likely higher than anyone wants to admit. What stands in the way of acceptance and proper management of concussions?
A laptop sitting on a desk shows four people in a virtual meeting.
video

Traditional Knowledge as a powerful driver in research

Artist and curator, Tania Willard, of the Secwépemc Nation and Chantelle Richmond, Biigtigong Nishnaabeg researcher in Indigenous health and the environment, in conversation with the Right Honourable Paul Martin
An apparatus holds two small rectangular glass slides with coloured lines.
article
Alberta

Applying quantum technology to solve some of our toughest real-world problems

University of Calgary partnerships exploring how quantum research can help to address “hard problems”