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. 

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The power to transform

Our Innovation Fund provides the foundation for world-class, impactful research that is made in Canada
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A hockey team in orange jerseys poses on the arena ice.
article
Quebec
Unsettling the Canadian hockey story
Collecting the stories of hockey players, builders and fans from Lac Seul First Nation to reveal a different narrative about Indigenous hockey
All articles
Kelsey Leonard posing for a photo in front of a stone wall covered in vines.
podcast
Ontario
Should bodies of water have the same legal status as people?
Researcher Kelsey Leonard, member of the Shinnecock Nation and founder of the Wampum Lab at the University of Waterloo, delves into ocean, water and climate justice.
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.
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A swirl of green light in the sky over a sparsely treed landscape
article
Alberta
The aurora borealis barometer
Cloudy with a chance of magnetic interference: A new imager at the University of Calgary will deepen our understanding of space weather
A pile of small auto parts photographed through a blue filter
article
Quebec
Stronger, lighter, greener
Montreal’s leaders in engineering and manufacturing combine forces to create the next generation of composites for jets and Jettas
An illustration of many multi-coloured human heads overlaying each other.
article
Ontario
New facility has improv researchers jazzed up
University of Guelph’s new ImprovLab promises more elbowroom to explore the social impact of the improvisational arts
Illustrations of medical equipment arranged in the shape of human lungs
article
Ontario
Earlier and better treatments for healthier kids
At Toronto’s SickKids Hospital, researchers and clinicians team up to tackle childhood obesity and lung disease
A grid pattern of different sizes of blue lights
article
British Columbia
Blasting past computer limits
In Vancouver, researchers aim to build the world’s first universal quantum computer and open up entirely new possibilities
Postdoctoral fellow Shabnam Jabari posing for a photo over a red background.
article
New Brunswick
Helping rescuers save more lives
Postdoctoral fellow, Shabnam Jabari, has developed an algorithm that creates a more accurate before-and-after picture to aid in recovery after a disaster
PhD student Austin Lee posing for a photo over a purple background.
article
British Columbia
A better quality of life for people with diabetes
PhD student, Austin Lee, is commercializing a smartphone device he invented to help diabetics monitor their blood sugar
Research associate Luis Alejandro Coy posing for a photo over a green background.
article
Alberta
Greener fuels for a better future
Research associate, Luis Alejandro Coy, is making a name for himself globally by developing nanocatalysts for more environmentally friendly oil upgrading
A house demolished by a hurricane.
article
Ontario
Houses that hold up in a hurricane
A state-of-the-art research facility at Western University has found that a few dollars can make our homes much safer in extreme storms
A two-lane highway viewed from a windshield with a car ahead and several digital markers overlain on the image
article
Ontario
Intelligent cars change everything
Once the domain of traditional robotics, the future of self-driving cars now lies in artificial intelligence, where Canadian researchers like Raquel Urtasun have serious clout
Many symbols and letters forming an algorithm written on a blue screen
article
Saskatchewan
It’s all in the algorithm
Making machine learning more affordable by tweaking how the machine interacts with the data sources that teach it
A white-haired woman holds a tomato wedge with a cooking pot on a surface in front of her
article
Quebec
What if your stove could learn your bad habits?
How artificially intelligent devices could make living at home for longer a safer option for seniors