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 graphic of several green coloured buildings against a backdrop of rolling green hills with windmills.

Keeping research infrastructure green

A nod to the efforts that CFI-funded labs are making to reduce their environmental impact
Read this article
Three young women pose in an outdoor setting wearing clear plastic safety-style glasses
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.
All articles
Université de Moncton Faculty of Science dean and researcher Céline Surette
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.
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.
All videos

All stories

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
Illustration of four men in business suits rowing a vessel shaped like an arrow. A fifth man, standing in front of them, shouts from a megaphone.
podcast

Episode six: The way forward

The final episode of our podcast series takes stock of where the CFI is today and where innovation in Canada needs to be 20 years from now
Floor to ceiling solar panels simulate a sunny day in a concrete research facility.
video
Quebec

Off-the-wall energy for self-sufficient buildings

Concordia University researcher Andreas Athienitis’ thermal solar wall technology can provide enough heat and electricity to take whole buildings off the grid
Three rows of round icons display a variety of bacteria and virus illustrations.
podcast
Ontario

Keeping antibiotics ahead of infectious diseases

Gerry Wright talks about the problems with promiscuous bacteria and how antibiotics resistance could affect the future of medicine
Illustration of a group of men and women running up a mountain. The leader is waving a Canadian flag.
podcast

Episode five: A new research strategy for Canada

A continuation of our podcast series that traces the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s unlikely origin story
A young boy peers through the bars of a playground structure
article
Ontario

Finding new markets for monkey bars

Lambton College labs help develop the next generation of playground equipment to give a southwestern Ontario company a boost into the adult fitness market
A rainbow of light emanates from two human forms side by side
article
Alberta

Making regenerative therapies reality

The University of Alberta’s Cell Therapy Manufacturing facility will take new therapies for diabetes and cancer from the hypothetical to the viable
Robert Godin sits inside a bright warehouse, playing one of the guitars made by his company, Godin Guitars. The shelves behind him are full of guitars.
video
Quebec

Made to fit: technology helps musicians find the perfect guitar

Godin Guitars partners with McGill University to bring a dream to life