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 launchpad to success for SmartChutes

How the Research Facilities Navigator helped one company find the liftoff they needed toward commercialization
Read the success story
Two students wearing disposable gloves each hold a small metal object as they stand in front of a large TRUMPF TruPrint 2000 machine.
article
Ontario

Giving industry an additive manufacturing edge

Putting 3D printing power to work for civilian, military and dual-use applications
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podcast
Nova Scotia

Jan Rainey is untangling the mysteries of spider silks

The Dalhousie University researcher is looking to create synthetic versions of spider's silk that have the potential to help heal damaged nerves and damaged hearts
All podcasts
video

Transforming research instincts into a successful business (March webinar)

Part of our Future You webinar series. This webinar features a new generation of researchers who share their challenges and successes as they made the move from researcher to entrepreneur. Watch the video to gain insights and receive valuable tips on how to start your own business.
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Pigtailed girl stands in front of chalkboard containing many mathematical
article
Alberta,Manitoba,Ontario

Mathematically speaking

As young people from kindergarten to university settle back into school, mathematics researchers give a few good reasons to love the subject some students dread
Houses on Datça Peninsula in Turkey surrounded with clear blue water and a sandy beach
article
Ontario

Diving off the Datça

How one maritime archaeologist from Brock University explores ancient shipwrecks for evidence of old-world trade systems
Two hands hold a screen horizontally with a holographic image of a city skyline rising up from the screen
article
Ontario,Alberta,Newfoundland and Labrador

Goodbye two dimensional screens, hello holographics

Two research facilities at the universities of Waterloo and Alberta are crucial to a Newfoundland company’s bid to lead the charge on holographic technologies
PhD student Sheena Gurm stands surrounded by line drawings depicting strands of DNA
podcast
Manitoba

Seeking a treatment for ALS

PhD student Sheena Gurm looks deep into brain cells for clues to a deadly disease
A robot hand holds a glowing, stylized atom
podcast
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
An aerial view of an agricultural field.
article
Ontario,Manitoba,Nova Scotia,Alberta,British Columbia

Feeding the country’s need for new knowledge in agriculture

Canadian agriculture has long relied on leading-edge research and technology development to keep pace with the rapidly changing ways we produce food. That tradition continues in state-of-the-art labs across the country.
A tractor riding over a barren field.
article
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
A green seedling in rich brown soil.
article
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
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
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
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
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