Creating knowledge that expands human possibilities
CIFAR is a Canadian non-profit research institute that has been changing the world of research and building Canada’s research capacity for 30 years. Today, our researchers are working on big questions with the potential to improve human health and the environment, transform technology, build strong societies, understand human culture and even chart the universe. Read more
12 Research Programs
Each CIFAR program convenes leaders from many disciplines and institutions to collaborate on answering a major question in advanced researchLearn MoreCosmology and Gravity
Creating a comprehensive story of the structure and evolution of the UniverseLearn MoreEarth System Evolution
Providing complex context for how our world has evolved over millions of yearsLearn MoreExperience-based Brain and Biological Development
Exploring how early social experiences affect lifelong development and healthLearn MoreGenetic Networks
Discovering how genes interact with one another to make us healthy or sickLearn MoreInstitutions, Organizations and Growth
Decoding the effect of institutions and organizations on economic growthLearn MoreIntegrated Microbial Biodiversity
Exploring the diverse microbial world that surrounds and permeates human lifeLearn MoreNanoelectronics
Harnessing the power of materials at the nanometre scaleLearn MoreNeural Computation and Adaptive Perception
Unlocking the mystery of how to recreate human-style learning in computersLearn MoreQuantum Information Processing
Understanding and exploiting the strange properties of the quantum worldLearn MoreQuantum Materials
Exploring materials whose unusual properties could revolutionize technologyLearn MoreSocial Interactions, Identity and Well-Being
Building social science concepts into traditional economic modelsLearn MoreSuccessful Societies
Exploring what makes societies successfulLearn More-
What we do
CIFAR embraces intellectual curiosity. We assemble leading Canadian and international researchers to collaborate on complex questions with scientific, economic, social and cultural importance.
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Who we are
Founded in 1982 with a multidisciplinary collaborative research model, CIFAR aims to create knowledge breakthroughs, advance Canada’s research community and fuel innovation.
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Support CIFAR
We invite you to become part of the CIFAR community. Your support will help make Canada the intellectual home for some of the world’s greatest collaborative advanced research.
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Junior Fellow Academy
The Junior Fellow Academy is an elite program that offers leadership and learning opportunities for gifted young scholars. CIFAR broadens their horizons and accelerates their professional development. New Junior Fellowships to begin in the summer/fall of 2012 are now being advertised with an application deadline of January 20, 2012.
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Next Big Question
Many of the Institute’s researchers have provided surprising and entertaining arguments related to what they think is the Next Big Question. This year, the presenters explained their perspectives on the nature of identity and responded to some of your questions.
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- Friday, February 17, 2012 Canadian Institute for Advanced Research well represented at AAAS 2012
CIFAR makes an impact at the AAAS 2012 meeting, one of the world's largest and most renowned science events.
Read more - Friday, February 10, 2012 New research suggests that Earth’s greatest mass extinction was slow, not a sudden catastrophe
A team of researchers, including CIFAR’s Katherine Freeman, discover that the greatest mass extinction in Earth’s history was not sudden, but rather took place over tens or hundreds of thousands of years.
Read more - Thursday, February 9, 2012 Scientists use new method to tease out the genome of a relatively unknown marine microorganism, Euryarchaeota, from seawater
A collaborative team of oceanographers and computer scientists has sequenced the genome of marine Euryarchaeota from seawater – an achievement that has led to a publication in the journal Science.
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Upcoming Events
- Wednesday, June 6, 2012Inspiring Leadership
An evening honouring Chaviva Hošek and marking CIFAR's 30th Anniversary
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Research Meetings
- Friday, February 24, 2012Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being Program Meeting
Location: Toronto (private meeting)
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- Monday, February 27, 2012Experience-Based Brain and Biological Development Program Meeting
Location: Vancouver (private meeting)
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- Friday, March 16, 2012Institutions, Organizations and Growth Program Meeting
Location: Whistler, B.C. (private meeting)
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