The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI; French: Fondation canadienne pour l'innovation, FCI) is an independent corporation created by the Government of Canada to invest in research facilities and equipment in Canada's universities, colleges, research hospitals, and non-profit research institutions.[1]
The CFI does not report staff numbers on its website or in its annual reports.[2] Based on the professional network site Linkedin, the number is approximately 100 (for 2025).[3]
History
The CFI was created by the Government of Canada through the Budget Implementation Act 1997, Bill C-93,[4] to "help build and sustain a research landscape in Canada that will attract and retain the world's top talent, train the next generation of researchers, support private-sector innovation and create high-quality jobs that strengthen Canada's position in today's knowledge economy".[5]
In 2023 it released its current 5-year Strategic Plan which states four key objectives:[6]
Increase Canada’s capacity for world-class scientific research and technology development
Support economic growth, job creation, health and environmental quality through innovation
Expand research and job opportunities for the next generation
Promote productive networks and collaboration
Presidents
Keith Brimacombe (First President and CEO, named in June 1997)[7]
Sylvain Charbonneau (current as of October 1, 2024)[10]
Governance
The CFI was established as an independent corporation with a board of directors, which meets three to four times a year. The board of directors reports to Members—a higher governing body similar to a company's shareholders but representing the Canadian public.[11] Members are nominated and appointed for a five-year term. An annual public meeting is held each year.[12]
Funding
The infrastructure funded by the CFI includes the equipment, laboratories, databases, specimens, scientific collections, computer hardware and software, communications linkages and buildings necessary to conduct research.[13]
The CFI has established a merit-review process that relies on experts from across Canada and around the world to ensure that only the best projects receive funding. CFI funding is awarded to institutions, not individual researchers, and all funding proposals must support an institution's strategic research plan.[14] Eligible Canadian institutions apply to the CFI through a suite of funds, and all applications are assessed using three broad criteria: quality of the research and its need for infrastructure, contribution to strengthening the capacity for innovation and potential benefits of the research to Canada.
The CFI funds up to 40 percent of a project's research infrastructure costs.[15] This funding is then leveraged to attract the remaining investment from partners in the public, private and non-profit sectors.[16]
Major research facilities
Major Science Initiatives (MSI) funded in 2023 (next competition is expected to launch in 2027). Below are the top awards (over CA$ 30M), ordered by size descending:[17][18]
↑ Sector, Government of Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Office of the Deputy Minister, Industry. "Canada Foundation for Innovation". www.ic.gc.ca. Retrieved 2017-07-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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