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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Four people gather around a mass spectrometer on a lab desk.

article

Jul 23, 2024 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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Université de Moncton Faculty of Science dean and researcher Céline Surette

podcast

May 8, 2024 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

Oct 7, 2022

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 robot hand holds a glowing, stylized atom

podcast

Apr 20, 2018 British Columbia,Ontario,Nova Scotia,Quebec

The solace of quantum

Sub-atomic research portends a second digital revolution that could solve some of our most vexing problems

article

Apr 3, 2018 Saskatchewan

Cultivating better ergonomics for farmers

University of Saskatchewan researchers are learning why three quarters of Canadian farmers experience lower back pain, and proposing ways to alleviate it

article

Apr 3, 2018 Nova Scotia

Know thy soil

Dalhousie University agricultural scientist Derek Lynch is giving Canadian farmers a better understanding of the material at the very root of their businesses: soil

A woman stands in a fallow field talking on a smart phone and consulting a tablet.

article

Apr 3, 2018 Ontario

Digital on the farm

For University of Guelph researcher Helen Hambly Odame the future of Canadian agricultural success lies in harnessing the tools of the digital revolution

A greenhouse glows yellow at night in a snowy background.

article

Apr 3, 2018 Manitoba

Hothouses for cold places

University of Manitoba researcher Qiang Zhang wants to use shipping containers to provide food to northern communities — but not to ship it. To grow it.

A brown and white cow stands knee-deep in grass

article

Apr 3, 2018 Alberta

Helping ranchers pick the best genes

At the University of Alberta, a CFI-supported project has grown into a world-class livestock genetics research program

An aerial shot of a patchwork of green and fallow fields

article

Apr 3, 2018 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

Mar 22, 2018 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

Mar 16, 2018 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

Feb 23, 2018 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