11 research projects led by U of T, partner hospitals receive support from CFI's Innovation Fund
Published: March 18, 2026
Eleven research projects at the University of Toronto and partner hospitals have received support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) through its Innovation Fund.
The Innovation Fund aims to support post-secondary institutions, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions in acquiring and developing infrastructure to boost their research capacity and foster world-class research.
Researchers at U of T and partner hospitals were awarded a total of $80 million in support of infrastructure needs in areas ranging from translational genomics and AI-driven drug discovery to quantum clockworks and characterization of advanced materials.
“Canada is focused on investing in researchers and innovators to advance bold scientific breakthroughs as we build the kind of scientific and academic powerhouse that drives the strongest economy in the G7,” said Mélanie Joly, Canada’s minister of industry and minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec regions. “This investment through the Canada Foundation for Innovation will equip researchers with cutting-edge, world class facilities that strengthen Canada’s research infrastructure, accelerate discoveries, drive researchers to take their work to the next level and create new opportunities that will benefit Canadians across industries.”
The U of T-led research projects to receive support from the latest round of the CFI Innovation Fund are:
Gisele Azimi of the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Transformative Expansion: Elevating OCCAM to Global Prominence in Materials Characterization
Boris Braverman of the department of physics in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Quantum clockworks
Benjamin Haibe-Kains of the University Health Network and the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and Hui Peng of the department of chemistry in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Revolutionizing AI-Driven Drug Discovery Through Large-Scale Data Generation
Michael Laflamme of the University Health Network and the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Enabling advanced preclinical modelling for the translation of biomedical innovations
Stephen Julian and Xiang Li of the department of physics in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Integrated facility for lattice engineering of quantum materials
David Malkin and Padmaja Subbarao of the Hospital for Sick Children and the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – SickKids Research Precision Child Health
Wai Tung Ng of the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering and Jane Howe of the department of materials science and engineering and the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Packaging Techniques for Accelerated Computing and Power Semiconductor Modules
Fahad Razak and Amol Verma of Unity Health Toronto and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health – Vital real-time health data for Trials, Artificial Intelligence, and a Learning Health System (VITAL)
Andre Simpson and Myrna Simpson of the department of physical and environmental sciences at U of T Scarborough – Canadian Centre for Environmental NMR Development, Application and Research (CEDAR)
John Sled of the Hospital for Sick Children and the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and Dana Philpott of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – A Translational Genomics and Microbiome Centre for Catalyzing New Discoveries
Neil Vasdev and Isabelle Boileau of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Next-Generation PET and MRI Neuroimaging Core for Diagnosis and Treatment of Brain Health Illnesses
