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
article

Building prosperity by creating more housing

Sean Tassé — Co-founder and VP, LEMNY
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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.
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article

Building prosperity by ensuring food security

Tayab Soomro — Founder and CEO, PathoScan Technologies Inc.
article

Building prosperity by creating more housing

Sean Tassé — Co-founder and VP, LEMNY
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
A group of people stand on either side of a long metal machine.
article
British Columbia

Additive manufacturing: Faster, cleaner, cheaper

Layer by layer, new technology is transforming Canada’s automotive, aerospace and clean energy sectors
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
A multi-hinged robotic arm holds a rectangle formed from rebar. On the right, a young woman holds a small white box in her hands. On the left, a young man looks at the frame into which the rebar is being inserted.
article
Quebec

A robo-lutionary way to build homes faster

How smart, mobile robots could solve the labour shortage that’s crippling Canada’s construction industry
A person holds a laptop with an image of a lock in front of a larger lit screen.
article
Ontario

Cyber-proofing Canada’s critical infrastructure

Pinpointing the cyber-criminals and state-sponsored hackers attacking Canada’s essential systems — and how to stop them
A quadrotor UAV flies in the upper right of the photo; in the water below floats a small uncrewed vessel Greef and her team plan to use as a recharging station.
article
Ontario

Developing drones to safeguard Arctic sovereignty

How smart, resilient UAVs — with floating charging platforms — could fill surveillance gaps in Canada’s Far North
The cement walls of a partially built building viewed from the side.
article
Ontario

Perfecting 3D-printed homes

3D printing a new house is already faster and less wasteful than traditional construction methods. Now, a University of Windsor lab will incorporate recycled and natural materials like clay to further reduce the environmental impact.
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
An outdoor scene at dusk with a stone pavilion and several tipis arranged in a circle with bleachers.
article
Ontario

Wildlife ecology done “in a good way”

Researcher Jesse Popp works alongside Indigenous communities to understand their most pressing questions about biodiversity and the plants and animals on the Land
Close up photo of the heads of wheat stalks in a field.
article
Manitoba

Tracking nutrients from the soil to your supper plate

By understanding how crops take up nutrients from the soil, University of Manitoba’s agronomy soil fertility expert Xiaopeng Gao aims to help farmers produce bigger yields of better grains — and do it more sustainably