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. 

Strategic investments, national impact

Learn how innovations in areas that matter most to Canadians, including affordable housing, food sovereignty and national security, comes from the research made possible by CFI investments in cutting-edge labs and equipment.
Discover the innovations
David Jones wears protective laser glasses as he stands behind a prototype on his lab bench.
article
British Columbia

Zeroing in on critical minerals

New sensors can pinpoint profitable ore — and reduce the financial and environmental costs of mining
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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.
All videos

All stories

University of Alberta researcher Carla Prado poses for a photo.
podcast
Alberta

Using the power of nutrition to treat those living with cancer

Carla Prado left her native Brazil and flew to Alberta in pursuit of a dream. Now, she is a globally recognized researcher who advocates for incorporating nutrition into the treatment of cancer.
An illustration of a robot hand holding an apple, which is in a spotlight, by its stem and two people working on screens on a backdrop of electric circuits.
article
Ontario

Now is the time: Elevating Black people in STEMM

An interview with Maydianne Andrade, inaugural president of the Canadian Black Scientists Network, about the persistent obstacles Black people encounter in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine
A monochromatic beige illustration of a person sitting arms-crossed on a rock surrounded with water and a blazing sun on the horizon.
article
British Columbia

Changing human behaviour to avert the climate crisis

Researchers at the University of British Columbia are exploring how people of various political stripes respond to the climate crisis — and how to spur collective climate action despite their differences
podcast
Quebec

How using sound to treat disease is music to one researcher’s ears

Simone Dalla Bella of Montréal’s International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and Sound Research asks “How can music help us in our daily tasks? And how can it slow down the deleterious effects of diseases such as Parkinson’s?”
A yellowish haze creates a silhouette of a person on a bike carrying a heavy load.
article
Ontario

Can a bicycle be a tool for creating gender equality?

Researchers at York University use visual and digital media to explore the connection between physical activity and unequal power relations.
Graphic of a person sitting curled up next to a backpack.
article
British Columbia

Life on the edge

An experiential research project at Simon Fraser University explores the psychology behind our perceptions of poverty
Illustration of arid land where one person holds a shovel and another holds a watering can. Above this scene, a large hand holds a seedling.
article
Ontario

Power, policies and sustainability in the global food system

Today’s industrial approach to agriculture leaves the world dangerously dependent on a few crops and a few companies. Jennifer Clapp wants to change that.
Illustration of a group of people dressed in lab coats gesturing toward a cubic cross section of soil layers with plants growing out of it.
article
Saskatchewan

Climate resilient crops that can do more with less

How researchers are tackling the roots of food insecurity — in a very literal way
Illustration of two people gesturing toward a corn plant with overlaying diagrams including a molecule.
article
Ontario

Blueprints for boosting plant immunity

How sophisticated genomics could help address food insecurity by giving crops an edge in the arms race against pathogens
Illustration of five people sitting and standing around a globe surrounded by bushes and plants.
article

Responding to a growing appetite for solutions to food insecurity

From genomics to economics, researchers in Canada are finding ways to address a crisis that is made worse by climate change and political unrest
Image of various cellphones on a wooden table displaying photos of researchers.
video

A promising future, now: 25 years of investing in ideas that change our world

The Canada Foundation for Innovation has supported cutting-edge research in Canada for 25 years. In these videos, researchers reflect on how CFI funding has advanced their work and how future generations will benefit. They tell passionate stories of curiosity, commitment and innovation.
McMaster University researcher Leyla Soleymani poses for a photo.
podcast
Ontario

Rapid diagnostics: Nano discoveries and mega results

McMaster researcher Leyla Soleymani looks to the tiny world of nanotech to make some very big discoveries