What We Do

The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research brings together and gives the world’s most brilliant thinkers freedom to cross conventional boundaries and tackle the essential research no one else is doing.

The Institute builds long-term, multidisciplinary, collaborative teams of Canadian and international researchers to study diverse topics of importance to Canada and the world. Today, the Institute has 12 research programs and several exploratory workshops in areas as diverse as human health, the environment, politics, economics, energy and IT.

CIFAR has also established Canada’s only national academy for postdoctoral training. The Junior Fellow Academy, builds Canada’s next generation brain trust by offering international and Canadian early-career researchers unparalleled access to the Institute’s network of international thought leaders.

CIFAR’s researchers include Nobel Laureates, Guggenheim Fellows, Royal Society of Canada members and many others at the top of their fields. Our commitment to excellence has allowed us to help recruit the world’s top researchers to Canada and keep them here, while ensuring that Canada’s best and brightest don’t leave for the US or overseas. Our international partnerships demonstrate Canada’s thought leadership to the world.

CIFAR fuels innovation by sharing knowledge that accelerates social, economic or technological development. CIFAR researchers are committed to creating a better future for the world by sharing their insights with leaders from government, business and industry, international organizations, and practitioners. Technological and social innovations arising from CIFAR’s research support Canada’s leadership at the forefront of the global knowledge economy.