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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A scientist inside a lab pulls a large, clear cylinder from inside one of several illuminated chambers.
article
British Columbia

Cultivating Canada’s emerging seaweed sector

B.C. researchers are helping kelp innovators boost production, create new products and strengthen coastal economies
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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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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
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.
Portrait of a person wearing large earrings and a dark blue jacket with pale blue, rose and burgundy stripes.
podcast
Quebec

Pooneh Maghoul: Working at the forefront of geotechnical engineering

Can our critical infrastructure withstand the effects of climate change?
A graphic of a DNA strand lit up with data points.
article
British Columbia

How Canada is at the forefront of unpacking the potential of DNA data storage

Could “DNA origami” offer a way to store some of the world’s 149 trillion gigabytes of information and help solve big data’s big storage problem? At UBC Okanagan, Will Hughes is exploring the possibilities.
View from the back of a person sitting at the controls of a simulator, holding the steering wheel while another person on the right, wearing a white cap, looks on.
article
Quebec

Mining and metallurgy 4.0

A McGill University laboratory is developing simulation tools that will help the mineral industry fully enter the fourth industrial revolution
video

Transforming research instincts into a successful business (February webinar)

Part of our Future You webinar series. The webinar features a new generation of researchers who turned their curiosity and ambition into thriving businesses and includes tips and insights to inspire other future entrepreneurs.
Portrait of Volker Gerdts Director and CEO of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO)
podcast
Saskatchewan

Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan are global leaders in pandemic preparedness

In 2002, German researcher Volker Gerdts relocated to Saskatoon. Cutting-edge vaccine research was the attraction. Now he is at the helm of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO).
Abstract landscape with torn deckled paper edges.
article
British Columbia

Remaking connections through art(ifacts)

Kristen Barnett is leading an Indigenous archaeology lab that will help communities reconnect with rematriated items