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. 

Guillaume St-Onge is wearing a striped red sweater and sunglasses, posing in front of the Pingualuit crater in Quebec, full of clear blue water.

Science (sea) star

Ocean science research is at a pivotal moment according to Guillaume St-Onge, Director of the Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski at Université du Québec à Rimouski
Listen to the podcast
Two people sit in front of a curved video wall displaying illuminated renderings of satellites orbiting earth.
article
British Columbia
Transforming dry data into Instagrammable art
Researchers are blending science, art and augmented reality to bring data to life, make complex information more evocative — and create plenty of buzz
All articles
Guillaume St-Onge is wearing a striped red sweater and sunglasses, posing in front of the Pingualuit crater in Quebec, full of clear blue water.
podcast
Quebec
Science (sea) star
Ocean science research is at a pivotal moment according to Guillaume St-Onge, Director of the Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski at Université du Québec à Rimouski
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

A pregnant woman holds a glass of water in one hand and a few pills in the other
article
Quebec
Weighing risks and benefits of medication use during pregnancy
Epidemiologists create super database to provide much-needed evidence for which prescriptions are safe, or not, for mom and baby
A graphic of five people holding mobile devices with a cloud of icons denoting various online activities and genders above their heads
article
Ontario
A new normal for LGBTQ+ youth
Researcher Shelley L. Craig has spent decades advocating for LGBTQ+ youth. Her research shows how social media is a lifeline to those growing up queer
Faranak Farzan applies a device to the side of a seated man’s head
article
British Columbia
Seeing mental health and addiction differently
Technologies at the intersection of engineering and neuroscience could help take the trial-and-error out of diagnosing and treating mental illness and addiction in young people, saving valuable time and potentially lives
A view of the top of a woman’s head through the cylinder of a medical imaging machine
article
Quebec
Making medical imaging more accessible with better molecules
Researchers are working with a California company to develop new imaging techniques that are cheaper and easier to manufacture
A woman, who is blurred out in the background, holds a mobile phone in the foreground
article
Nova Scotia
The art of persuasive technology
Rita Orji, a computer scientist at Dalhousie University, develops culturally relevant persuasive technologies to promote positive behaviours, from sexual health among young people in Africa to mental wellness during a pandemic.
An illustration of a lineup of people wearing masks and pulling wheeled suitcases
article
Ontario
Resurrecting Canadian travel and tourism
Canada’s multi-billion-dollar hospitality industry was hit hard by COVID-19, but research on tourist behaviour can help restaurants, hotels and airlines win back customers by finding ways to ease their minds
A close up of a vaccine phial besides various superimposed imageswith 3D graphics of a virus layered over a picture of a pair of gloved hands in a laboratory
article
Nova Scotia
Safe facilities will help deliver effective COVID-19 vaccines in eastern Canada
Upgrading two Halifax-area facilities with higher safety measures means researchers in Halifax can develop and test COVID-19 vaccines
Paper strips printed with CMYK colours
article
Quebec
Taking the fear out of touch with antiviral inks
Montreal researchers aim to develop inks with anti-pathogenic nanoparticles to make printed surfaces safer
A person puts a hand to their forehead while sitting on the floor and looking at a laptop
article
British Columbia
Virtual reality offers students mental health support
Researchers at the College of New Caledonia study how virtual reality can help students build resilience and learn coping mechanisms for stress and anxiety
Dark liquid flows through a concrete pipe with a river and cityscape visible through the end of the pipe
article
Ontario
Testing sewage to see community infection levels
Researchers at the University of Windsor’s Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research test wastewater as a way of screening whole communities for SARS-CoV-2 and potentially a gamut of other viruses
Viewed from backstage, a group of people on a tour stand on stage looking toward the empty auditorium
article
Saskatchewan
People with disabilities find connection through art
How a lab at the University of Regina combines fine arts and social sciences research to help people with disabilities to express themselves through art
A graphic of lungs criss-crossed with intersecting lines
article
Alberta
Is COVID-19 a vascular disease?
There is mounting evidence that COVID-19 affects blood vessels. If proven, it could change the way we approach treatment. A University of Calgary research team will use specialized microscopes to test the theory