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.
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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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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.
Young people on a soccer field on a sunny day.
article
Ontario

Creating a mental health playbook for student athletes

How sports psychology expert Katherine Tamminen is helping competitors thrive now — and long after they’ve put away their jerseys
Four people gather around a mass spectrometer on a lab desk.
article
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.
A graphic of several green coloured buildings against a backdrop of rolling green hills with windmills.
article
Ontario,British Columbia,Quebec

Keeping research infrastructure green

A nod to the efforts that CFI-funded labs are making to reduce their environmental impact
A person hoop dances on a panoramic screen in a large circular space.
article
Alberta,Ontario

Sacred spaces

Indigenous Territory and Knowledge-sharing in the digital age
Graphic of a human brain done in bright colours resembling an oil painting.
article
Nova Scotia

Navigating the cutting edge of neuroimaging

New tech creates big possibilities, from basic research to brain surgery
A bird with a long, reddish bill and flecked brown feathers wades in marshy waters.
article
Ontario

A fresh take on protecting our waters

A wide-ranging survey of aquatic environments in Eastern Ontario will bring together Indigenous and Western Knowledge to find better ways to preserve Canada’s freshwater habitats and species
A wheelchair is strapped in testing equipment in a laboratory.
article
British Columbia,Manitoba

Unlimited access

Researchers combine expertise in engineering and occupational therapy to build wheelchairs that further break down barriers to mobility
A child on a swing against a blue sky.
article
Quebec

Moving beyond surviving to thriving

A new network of eight Canadian universities aims to help make a difference for children and youth exposed to trauma
Prescription pill bottles tipped over with white tablets poured out
article
Alberta

Probing the brain to break the cycle of opioid addiction

New treatments for opioid use disorder are desperately needed — and fast. The answer may lie in existing medications.
An illustration composed of coloured bars that look like genetic screening radiating from a nucleus of curved covered lines.
article
Quebec

Genetic sleuthing

A state-of-the-art laboratory is leveraging modern and ancient DNA analysis in tandem with genealogical data to fully understand an evolving population
Weathered cottages perch on the edge of a ragged shoreline in Prince Edward Island that was badly eroded by Hurricane Fiona.
article
Prince Edward Island

Coastal scourge

Compounded by a changing climate, severe erosion is scouring Prince Edward Island’s coastline. Researchers are designing an elaborate coastal hazard monitoring and modelling system to help protect the island’s shores from being further flushed out to sea.