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
SuperDARN antennas with aurora borealis in the sky above.
article
Saskatchewan

Securing Canada’s Arctic sovereignty with early warning radar tech

How a research project designed to study aurora borealis is set to transform Canada’s Arctic surveillance capability
All articles
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

A vector graphic of opened head symbol with researchers and research infrastructure inside over the CFI logo on red background.
podcast

The CFI's origin story

This is the origin story of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, an organization dedicated to the future, that was born at a time when the country was heavily burdened by its past
Illustration of three men and a woman in grey suits carrying a giant watering can. From left to right: the woman is helping tilt the watering can by its neck, one man is supporting it from its base, and the other two men, one sitting on top of the other’s shoulders, is holding the handle. Water droplets pour out of the nozzle, falling onto the CFI’s circular red logo growing out of the soil. To the left of the logo, a fourth man is crouching on one knee in the dirt, holding a gardening spade
podcast

Episode four: An idea becomes reality

The fourth episode in a podcast series that traces the Canada Foundation for Innovation's unlikely origin story
Illustration of a giant grey head with an open skull cap, revealing his brain. A portion of the brain in the shape of a puzzle piece is missing. Two men in grey suits stand on top of the head. The man to the left is scratching his head, while the man on the right is carrying the CFI’s red circular logo above his head. Beneath them, a woman in a grey suit is holding up the brain’s missing puzzle piece
podcast

Episode three: The idea of CFI is born

The third episode in a podcast series that traces the Canada Foundation for Innovation's unlikely origin story
Illustration of a man in a grey suit aboard a little boat made out of newspaper. He is at sea and is looking through a nautical telescope. To the right of the boat, there is a large green dollar sign, mostly submerged under water. The top part of the dollar sign sticking out of the water has two palm trees growing on it.
podcast

Episode two: An unexpected opportunity

The second episode in a podcast series that traces the Canada Foundation for Innovation's unlikely origin story
Illustration of a man in a grey suit sitting on a unicycle with a dollar sign on it. He is balancing on a tightrope and looking down at the shark fins darting out of the water below. The sharks are waiting for him to fall.
podcast

Episode one: Fiscal Armageddon

The first episode in a podcast series that traces the Canada Foundation for Innovation's unlikely origin story
Dr. Franziska Broell holding a small container in front of an ocean view.
article
Nova Scotia

Research builds my business community

Dalhousie University’s Ocean Tracking Network has given rise to enterprises serving Atlantic Canada’s vibrant oceanographic research community
A collage of photos featuring various researchers arranged in vertical stripes.
article
Alberta,British Columbia,Nova Scotia,Ontario,Quebec,Saskatchewan

Research builds our communities

A collection of stories showcasing the transformative impact of research on Canadians and their communities
Crop scientist Simon Bonin and cranberry farmer Olivier Pilotte posing for a photo in a field of cranberries.
article

Research builds my farming community

Cranberry production is booming in Quebec thanks in part to research at the Université Laval
Graduate student Ewald Cheung plays the violin in McGill University music hall.
video
Quebec

Research builds my music community

Quebec music hub explores how musicians in large ensembles interact with each other, and also with their audience
A group of citizens posing for a photo in front of a city landscape.
video
Alberta

Research builds our urban community

The University of Calgary teams up with its home city to improve wastewater treatment methods
Samantha Knapp holding two children.
video
Ontario

Research builds my children’s community

Finding the genetic cause of her daughters’ illness was the key Samantha Knapp needed to tap into a community of parents going through the same thing
Albert and Logan Leyenhorst, father and son dairy farmers in Saskatchewan, posing with their herd in the barn.
video
Saskatchewan

Research builds my agriculture community

New ways of processing grain by-products to make feedstocks that are better for milk production will benefit both grain and dairy farmers across Canada