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 launchpad to success for SmartChutes

How the Research Facilities Navigator helped one company find the liftoff they needed toward commercialization
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Two students wearing disposable gloves each hold a small metal object as they stand in front of a large TRUMPF TruPrint 2000 machine.
article
Ontario

Giving industry an additive manufacturing edge

Putting 3D printing power to work for civilian, military and dual-use applications
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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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Low buildings and homes along a flat shoreline with water in the foreground.
article
Ontario

Biskaabiiyang: Rebuilding power and authority for sovereign Indigenous Nations

Research into traditional forms of Indigenous governance will explore the resurgence of roles held by Indigenous youth, women, Two Spirit and trans folx
A person wearing a coat in an empty field, posing for a photo.
podcast
Quebec

Getting fired up about the Arctic

Alexandre Langlois is passionate about all aspects of his job. As a researcher in Northern Canada, he studies the fastest-warming place on the planet and the problems that arise as the climate changes.
A grey and white photo of a multi-storeyed building with turrets at each corner and a large circular driveway in front.
article
Quebec

Bringing back bygone ventilation schemes

Uncovering a decommissioned ventilation system embedded in the walls of a Victorian-era hospital in Montréal offers insight into architectural designs for modern-day energy efficient buildings
Several surgeons and nurses around an operating table.
article
Ontario

Improving patient care in complex times

A new lab is developing instructional methods for training healthcare providers to be nimbler in ever-changing circumstances
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
Quebec

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.