Government of Canada announces major investment in Canadian researchers and research institutions

Funding supports the attraction and retention of leading research talent, strengthens research security and enables transformational research

HAMILTON, ON, Oct. 23, 2026 /CNW/ -- Today, Karim Bardeesy, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry, announced on behalf of the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, more than $813 million to support world-class research. Specifically, funding will support over 450 researchers across Canada, cutting edge research infrastructure and help Canadian institutions with the indirect costs of research.  

As global research and innovation continue to evolve at an unprecedented pace, investing in a strong Canadian research ecosystem is critical. Researchers across Canada are advancing transformative discoveries that improve the lives of Canadians, strengthen communities and support a more prosperous and competitive economy.

The funding is distributed to researchers, research teams and/or institutions across the country through:

• 2026 New Frontiers in Research Fund Transformation competition--$120 million to five research teams that will address major challenges with the potential to realize real and lasting change;
• 2026-27 Research Support Fund (RSF) grants--more than $369 million to help 161 institutions cover a portion of the indirect costs of research, in addition to:
  • 2026-27 RSF Incremental Project Grants--nearly $104 million to 34 institutions; and
  • 2026-27 RSF Research Security grants--nearly $25 million to 51 institutions.
• 2025-2 Canada Research Chairs--over $187 million to 220 new and renewed chairs to strengthen Canada's position as a global leader in research excellence and attract and retain some of the world's most accomplished and promising minds;
• Canada Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Fund--nearly $8 million to help provide 35 projects at 22 institutions with state-of-the-art research infrastructure and equipment; and
• 2025 Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity--$300,000 to three researchers whose projects bolster and promote equity, diversity and inclusion in the research ecosystem.

These investments will allow natural sciences, engineering, health, and social sciences and humanities researchers and their teams the opportunity to deepen understanding in areas such as clean energy, regenerative medicine, machine learning, and health and community services, among others.

Quotes

"A world-class research ecosystem is essential to Canada's future well-being and prosperity. The investments announced today for researchers, research institutions and critical infrastructure are helping build a healthier, more resilient and more prosperous country, while driving the discoveries and innovations that will shape our economy and improve Canadians' quality of life for decades to come."

--The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions

"Investing in a strong Canadian research ecosystem is essential to building a healthier, more prosperous Canada. By empowering our researchers and enabling new discoveries and innovation, we are building a stronger health care system and improving the health and well-being of Canadians for generations to come."

-- The Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health

"Researchers across disciplines are helping solve some of today's biggest challenges and seize tomorrow's greatest opportunities. This funding will allow researchers to pursue bold ideas and make breakthrough discoveries in key areas such as artificial intelligence, precision medicine and public policy."  

– Karim Bardeesy, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry

"These investments demonstrate Canada's commitment to a research ecosystem that is both ambitious and resilient. By supporting outstanding researchers, strengthening institutional capacity, enhancing research security and enabling transformative interdisciplinary research, we are creating the conditions for discoveries that will improve the lives of Canadians and help position Canada as a global leader in research and innovation."

– Normand Labrie, Interim President, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

"The CFI is pleased to be supporting today's announcement through our John R. Evans Leaders Fund. These research infrastructure investments mean we can build the capabilities to advance bleeding-edge research, develop state-of-the-art facilities and respond to national priorities across a variety of key sectors. They ensure we are leveraging the ingenuity and talent of our best researchers to build a stronger Canada."

--Sylvain Charbonneau, President and Chief Operating Officer, Canada Foundation for Innovation

Quick facts

• The New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) supports world-leading interdisciplinary, international, high-risk/high-reward, transformative and rapid-response Canadian-led research. The NFRF Transformation stream is designed to support large-scale, Canadian-led interdisciplinary research projects that address a major challenge, with the potential to realize real and lasting change. Teams are awarded grants of up to $24 million over six years.
• The Research Support Fund (RSF) base fund helps Canadian postsecondary institutions with the indirect costs associated with managing their research enterprise and maintaining a world-class research environment.
  • The Incremental Project Grants (IPG) stream of the RSF provides further support for the indirect costs of research, while supporting projects across five IPG priority areas. This investment will go across four IPG priority areas: innovation and commercialization activities; facilities renewal, including deferred maintenance; information resources, including digital resources, open access and databases; and equity, diversity and faculty renewal (in the context of equity, diversity and inclusion).
  • Research Security is the fifth priority area of the IPG stream. It helps build capacity within eligible postsecondary institutions to identify, assess and mitigate potential risks to research security.
• The Canada Research Chairs Program invests up to $311 million annually to attract and retain some of the world's most promising and accomplished researchers. The program aims to advance research that leads to groundbreaking discoveries and innovations across health, engineering, sciences, social sciences and humanities.
• The Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity enables institutions eligible for the Canada Research Chairs Program to invite eligible faculty members, or a team of eligible faculty members, to lead bold and potentially game-changing initiatives that challenge the status quo, spark change, and take action to address persistent systemic barriers in the research ecosystem and academia.
• The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), through its Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat, administers all of the above programs on behalf of Canada's three federal research funding agencies--the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and SSHRC.
• The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) invests in research infrastructure at Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals and not-for-profit research institutions, equipping researchers with the tools they need to be global leaders. Through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund, the CFI supports the research infrastructure Canada Research Chairs need to advance their work.

Associated links

• 2026 NFRF Transformation 
• 2026-27 Research Support Fund grants 
• 2026-27 Incremental Project Grants 
• 2026-27 Research Security grants
• Canada Research Chairs: Cycle 2025-2
• Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity 2025
• John R. Evans Leaders Fund

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CFI: X - @InnovationCA, Bluesky - @Innovation.ca and LinkedIn - Canada Foundation for Innovation/Fondation canadienne pour l'innovation

SOURCE Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat

For more information, contact: Mathis Denis, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, [email protected]; Media relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, [email protected]; Media relations, Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat, [email protected]; Media relations, New Frontiers in Research Fund, [email protected]; Media relations, Canada Foundation for Innovation, [email protected]