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.

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Taking research to the next level with artificial intelligence

How researchers in Canada are turbo-charging their research with artificial intelligence to solve problems, from traffic jams to climate change to discovering new pharmaceuticals

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A graphic of a DNA strand lit up with data points.

article

Mar 18, 2025 British Columbia

How Canada is at the forefront of unpacking the potential of DNA data storage

Could “DNA origami” offer a way to store some of the world’s 149 trillion gigabytes of information and help solve big data’s big storage problem? At UBC Okanagan, Will Hughes is exploring the possibilities.

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Portrait of a person wearing large earrings and a dark blue jacket with pale blue, rose and burgundy stripes.

podcast

Mar 24, 2025 Quebec

Pooneh Maghoul: Working at the forefront of geotechnical engineering

Can our critical infrastructure withstand the effects of climate change?

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video

Mar 28, 2025

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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Image of Regan Thompson holding a fish with his two arms.

article

Nov 7, 2018 Ontario

Scouring the scum to save a lake worth millions

Tackling harmful algae blooms in Lake Nipissing is critical to preserving the local industries that rely on it

article

Sep 24, 2018 British Columbia

Does your social life make you happy?

The University of British Columbia’s Frances Chen uses sophisticated research tools to determine how our social lives — online and otherwise — affect how we feel and behave

article

Sep 17, 2018 Ontario

Shifting the research relationship

Lakehead University’s Christopher Mushquash’s wide-ranging work on addictions and mental health in Indigenous communities is tied by one common thread: listening to what the community needs and wants

An oversized video game controller appears to lounge on a couch looking toward a coffee table with drinks and snacks

article

Sep 14, 2018 Saskatchewan

Helping video gaming companies level up

University of Saskatchewan computer scientist Regan Mandryk has developed a testing tool to keep Canada’s booming indie video game industry thriving

Pigtailed girl stands in front of chalkboard containing many mathematical

article

Sep 13, 2018 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

May 28, 2018 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

May 1, 2018 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

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.