A statement on the value of research and its vital contributions to society
Research builds communities
The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is a non-profit corporation that invests in research infrastructure at Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions.
Research in Canada, for Canada: A value proposition
Research security
Learn about the CFI’s new research security policies. Access forms, guidelines and other information to help you navigate these new requirements.
Supporting research across the spectrum
Our Innovation Fund supports a broad range of research programs to help Canada remain at the forefront of exploration and knowledge generation; our College Fund helps colleges foster partnerships to address the needs of a Canadian industry or community. Learn more about these two funds.
Recent updates
Research stories
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Quebec
Taking AI to the front lines of climate action
From monitoring moths to tracking crop yields from space, David Rolnick is building a suite of machine-learning tools to address the climate crisis
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Ontario
Using artificial intelligence to help highways hum
Could AI improve traffic flow, cut emissions and get you home sooner? Hao Yang thinks so.
article
Quebec
Unravelling the secrets of the universe: Deep learning in astronomy
Laurence Perreault-Levasseur and her team at Université de Montréal are using deep learning in astronomy to develop and apply analysis methods that will do nothing short of helping us better understand the universe itself while improving medical imaging and climate modelling.
article
Ontario
Creating ethical AI
By probing the sociocultural risks of artificial intelligence, Lai-Tze Fan is helping create technologies with fairness built in
article
Quebec
Turbo-boosting pharmaceutical breakthroughs
Discovering a new drug can feel like hunting for a needle in a haystack. Ré Mansbach is developing AI-powered tools to streamline those searches.
podcast
Ontario
How neuroendocrinology crosses sectors to create promising new insights
Nafissa Ismail focuses on the effects of hormones on the brain to pin down the interactions between our organs and our emotions
article
Investigating the causes — and consequences — of war and genocide
How immersive simulation, film, video and podcasting tools are giving Hilary Earl and her colleagues fresh insights into the history of state-sponsored violence
podcast
Ontario
The future of flight depends on sustainability that goes beyond biofuels
The University of Waterloo’s Suzanne Kearns is a global leader in sustainable aviation, but her flight path wasn’t without turbulence
article
Ontario
Is bad air quality making you sick?
The air you breathe contains thousands of natural and synthetic chemicals. Joseph Okeme is identifying which ones cause chronic diseases.
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Nova Scotia
Can plant-based proteins taste better?
Marcia English wants to give consumers all the benefits of pulse proteins without the beany flavour. That’s good news for Canada’s $6.3 billion pulse industry.
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Ontario
Creating a mental health playbook for student athletes
How sports psychology expert Katherine Tamminen is helping competitors thrive now — and long after they’ve put away their jerseys
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Raising up Indigenous voices in research
For this National Indigenous History Month, discover research projects that are led by Indigenous researchers and which address the priorities of their communities
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Ontario,British Columbia,Quebec
Keeping research infrastructure green
A nod to the efforts that CFI-funded labs are making to reduce their environmental impact
article
Nova Scotia
Navigating the cutting edge of neuroimaging
New tech creates big possibilities, from basic research to brain surgery
podcast
New Brunswick
Meet Acadian researcher Céline Surette, for whom interdisciplinarity is second nature
Céline Surette embodies both the chemistry of living things and interdisciplinarity to serve the real needs and questions of communities. And to achieve this, and ensure that critical thinking triumphs, she'll pull out all the stops.
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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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Prince Edward Island
Coastal scourge
Compounded by a changing climate, severe erosion is scouring Prince Edward Island’s coastline. Researchers are designing an elaborate coastal hazard monitoring and modelling system to help protect the island’s shores from being further flushed out to sea.
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Quebec
Genetic sleuthing
A state-of-the-art laboratory is leveraging modern and ancient DNA analysis in tandem with genealogical data to fully understand an evolving population
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Alberta
Probing the brain to break the cycle of opioid addiction
New treatments for opioid use disorder are desperately needed — and fast. The answer may lie in existing medications.
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Quebec
Moving beyond surviving to thriving
A new network of eight Canadian universities aims to help make a difference for children and youth exposed to trauma
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British Columbia,Manitoba
Unlimited access
Researchers combine expertise in engineering and occupational therapy to build wheelchairs that further break down barriers to mobility
article
Ontario
A fresh take on protecting our waters
A wide-ranging survey of aquatic environments in Eastern Ontario will bring together Indigenous and Western Knowledge to find better ways to preserve Canada’s freshwater habitats and species
article
Manitoba
Ushering in a new era of breast cancer screening
The discovery of tumour biomarkers paves the way for earlier disease detection through a simple blood test
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
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Nova Scotia
Meet Canada’s greenhouse gas detectives
With a few creative hacks, the Flux Lab has transformed a lab bench gas analyzer into a mobile tool they’re using to measure emissions from pipeline leaks, landfills and melting permafrost in the field
