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
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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.
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An aerial shot of a patchwork of green and fallow fields
article
British Columbia

Harvesting big data

For University of British Columbia researcher Navin Ramankutty the future of sustainable agriculture grows out of a mix of algorithms, big data and powerful computers
Master's student Ryan Greene posing for a photo over a blue background.
article
Newfoundland and Labrador

Preventing back injuries in the work place

Master’s student, Ryan Greene, seeks to discover whether prolonged sitting causes back pain and injuries
Photo of Trafford Simpson, professor of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Waterloo
podcast
Ontario

Sight for sore eyes

Trefford Simpson investigates how — and why — our eyes feel pain
A bottle spills out yellow tablets in the form of the letter “A.”
article
Manitoba

A vitamin to reduce Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Researchers at the University of Manitoba have produced compelling evidence that a vitamin A supplement could help prevent a disorder that affects more kids than you might expect
Image of Nathan Knapp-Blezius with hand drawn images of culinary arts swirling around him
video

Reinventing the grocery aisle

College student Nathan Knapp-Blezius mixes the culinary arts with a dash of scientific method to help food companies create scrumptious new products
Scientists work on innovative robotics technology in a modern laboratory.
article

The future belongs to the highly skilled

How working in leading-edge research labs is preparing a new generation for success, in the lab and out
A graphic of human hip bones with purple lights around the joints.
article
Alberta

Lasting mobility and joint health is bred in the bone for new research facility

A new facility at the University of Calgary will help researchers get closer to their goal of preventing and treating bone and joint diseases, a growing and often devastating problem for an aging population
Rachel Barre teaching a dance class to Parkinson's patients.
article
Ontario

Boosting brainpower at the barre

Researchers are learning how the unique combination of music and movement provided by learning dance can improve both the mental and physical health of Parkinson’s patients
Michael Houghton posing for a photo.
video
Alberta

The Search for a Hepatitis C Vaccine

University of Alberta scientists close in on a deadly virus
Snow-capped mountains with a lake in the foreground
article
British Columbia

Let it snow

Oh, the weather outside is frightful. Frightfully warm that is, according to University of Northern British Columbia researchers monitoring snowfall and temperatures in B.C.’s Cariboo Mountains.
Michael Houghton posing for a photo.
podcast
Alberta

Michael Houghton’s 30-year quest to cure Hepatitis C

After discovering the Hep C virus in 1989, Houghton is now closing in on a vaccine for the potentially fatal disease

An airplane viewed from the rear on snowy ground.
article
Ontario

Bringing precious cargo to the North

University of Ottawa researchers are developing safer, cheaper ways to deliver vital supplies to remote communities