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. 

A close-up photo of taillights of a car and a transport truck at the back of a long line of traffic.

Choosing the right route to lower traffic emissions

By profiling tailpipe emissions and creating community-specific transportation models, researchers will help cities reach their net-zero mobility goals faster — even in sub-zero temperatures
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Several hands hold up an illustrated ball of houses against a cloudy sky.
article
New Brunswick
Tackling the many dimensions of New Brunswick’s housing crisis
How one social science lab — with a few well-placed couches — is bringing stakeholders together to address the intersecting issues of housing affordability, mental health and food security
All articles
York University researcher Pirathayini Srikantha poses for a photo.
podcast
Ontario
Reinforcing the reliability of our vulnerable electricity grid
York University's Pirathayini Srikantha studies power grid systems with the aim of keeping Canada’s infrastructure safe from fluctuations and hackers. Find out why she’s passionate about power.
All podcasts
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.
All videos

All stories

Dark orange flames along the crest of a treed hill with billows of thick grey smoke.
article
Alberta
Blazing a new trail in fire forensics
Many devastating wildfires are human-caused; some are set intentionally. One research lab aims to get to the bottom of how the blazes start to inform arson investigations and prevention measures.
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
Québec
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
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