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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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.
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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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A crystal globe sits on the ground among ferns and grass
article
Nova Scotia

Making sensors to monitor soil emissions

Sensing an opportunity, soil scientists from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, created a company to make devices that monitor greenhouse gases from the ground
A child kicking a soccer ball toward a net
article
Ontario

Beyond the physical

Researchers at Nipissing University are recording the conversations of young athletes on and off the field to find out the impact of sport on their development
A large quantity of Monarch butterflies
article

Thinking quantitatively

Researchers at the University of British Columbia want to understand how our brains process quantity and language to inform how we teach young people about numbers, from the time they learn to count
Silhouettes of many people interacting on a reflective surface that looks like water.
article
Quebec

Lonesome no more: When virtual reality goes social

Researchers at the Université de Montréal have patented technology that allows multiple people in different locations to participate in a virtual reality environment
A person wearing a yellow construction hat leaning over a map on a wooden table.
article
Ontario

Indigenous engineering students are making a difference in their communities

Training in state-of-the-art research labs encourages Indigenous students to pursue engineering, an area of expertise critical for communities involved in natural resource management
A woman sits cross-legged in the grass, holding an electronic tablet.
article
Saskatchewan

Mental health in the Internet age

Researchers at the University of Regina are providing a much-needed boost for mental health services in Saskatchewan by developing and testing ways to deliver therapy via the Internet
A pastel-coloured illustration of a woman cradling an infant to her breast, with long hair and leafy branches radiating outward.
article

The mother of all nutrition labs

Kyly Whitfield of Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax is tackling the polarizing topic of breastfeeding at the Milk and Micronutrient Assessment Lab, or MAMA Lab
Fractured reflection of two people talking
article
Ontario

Teaching children with autism how to perceive the world

Western University’s Ryan Stevenson will launch the first longitudinal study to determine if training will help kids with autism better process the outside world
A plate of cooked sea bass fillet on a bed of arugula and couscous
article
Alberta

Sea bass with a side of arugula, anyone?

Alberta entrepreneurs are growing fresh fish and vegetables together, turning a finely balanced ecosystem into a profitable bottom line
A transport truck on a snow-covered road in a blizzard.
article
Manitoba

Avoiding the storm

A Winnipeg company generates sophisticated weather reports to save trucking companies and farmers tens of thousands of dollars
Robert J. Sawyer makes the Vulcan salute to an off-camera audience
podcast

Sci-fi writer Robert Sawyer imagines the future of Canadian science

This country’s extraordinary real-life research facilities provide a wondrous backdrop for Sawyer’s imagined futures, proving you don’t have to stray far from home to be inspired by leading-edge science
Young woman resting her face in her hand stares out a window through open shutters looking bored
article
Ontario

Boredom is complicated

Feeling bored is more than a modern day irritant. It can be a source of significant distress, particularly for people with ADHD