Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Common menu bar links

Impact Stories

Stopping an invasion
Stopping an invasion
December 18, 2017
Invasive species continue to be a critical threat to freshwater ecosystems in Saskatchewan and across North America.

Revolutionizing how we enjoy hot beverages on the go
Revolutionizing how we enjoy hot beverages on the go
December 11, 2017
From a field of Ontario-grown soybeans to a product that will reduce cancer risk – the innovative new Prolong Travel Mug™, proudly discovered, developed and designed at Trent University, is set to revolutionize your morning cup of coffee.

The benefits of a bilingual brain
The benefits of a bilingual brain
December 4, 2017
York University Professors are undertaking ground-breaking research the impact of which is felt on a global stage. Psychology Professor Ellen Bialystok in the Faculty of Health is a shining example of this.

Making accessibility education a priority
Making accessibility education a priority
November 27, 2017
Even today, accessibility is too often an afterthought in the engineering and design of products, buildings and websites. Wheelchair ramps, braille signs, bike lanes, and alternative text on online images are too easily left to the last minute.

Chemists develop method to help tackle opioid crisis
Chemists develop method to help tackle opioid crisis
November 20, 2017
Researchers at McMaster University have developed a new drug screening technique that could lead to the rapid and accurate identification of fentanyl, as well as a vast number of other drugs of abuse, which up until now have been difficult to detect by traditional urine tests.

Turning pollutants to products
Turning pollutants to products
November 8, 2017
To the casual observer, it looks like just a mobile set of glass tubes filled with bubbling microalgae culture. But according to Grand Prairie Regional College (GPRC) researcher Dr. Weixing Tan, this patented photobioreactor system can actually transform the pollutants created by human beings into products with significant commercial potential.

When humidity benefits batteries
When humidity benefits batteries
November 1, 2017
Sometimes you can find simple solutions to complex problems, as demonstrated by the team of the Institute Nationale pour Recherche Scientific’s (INRS) Dr. Lionel Roué, which cleverly improved the performance of silicon-based electrodes for lithium-ion batteries

Take with a grain of salt
Take with a grain of salt
October 24, 2017
In the quest to improve physical performance, many athletes are turning to untested nutritional supplements.

Ants as bodyguards?
Ants as bodyguards?
October 5, 2017
Though you might not think of ants as formidable bodyguards, some do an impressive job protecting plants from enemies.

Canadian-led study akin to antimatter forensics
Canadian-led study akin to antimatter forensics
September 6, 2017
A Canadian-led investigation has opened a new chapter in antimatter research.

Rising solar stars
Rising solar stars
August 30, 2017
When University of Ottawa doctoral candidate Viktar Tatsiankou shows his two entrepreneurial colleagues a weathered, toaster-sized metal box with a protruding bug-eye lens on one side, he gets smiles and a guffaw.

Something in the water
Something in the water
August 16, 2017
Researchers at the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Okanagan campus have designed a tiny device —built using a 3D printer—that can monitor drinking water quality in real time and help protect against waterborne illness.

All on Tape
All on Tape
July 25, 2017
A chance meeting with a physiotherapist in Northern B.C. has led an Okanagan College instructor to a collaborative research project that examines common injuries in a distinct industry: tree planting.

Fish and Chips
Fish and Chips
July 11, 2017
Recently, an innovative materials research group at Dalhousie jumped into the ocean technology game and teamed up with VEMCO, a local company that develops unique tracking solutions for the Ocean Tracking Network and researchers worldwide.

Sparrow sights and sounds
Sparrow sights and sounds
June 27, 2017
Just as a population of savannah sparrows is drawn to return to a small island off the coast of New Brunswick each year, so too is a pair of University of Windsor researchers.

A 3D step in the right direction
A 3D step in the right direction
May 10, 2017
A research project between the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and Wiivv Wearables Inc. is making big strides in the field of orthotics thanks to revolutionary 3D printed shoe insoles.

Helping farmers protect their crops
Helping farmers protect their crops
May 2, 2017
Some perennial weeds are so invasive that they can significantly reduce the production capacity of organic farms.

Robots that help you help yourself
Robots that help you help yourself
April 18, 2017
Dr. Goldie Nejat of the University of Toronto is on a mission to revolutionize care for seniors by developing socially assistive robots.

Lewis E. Kay named Canada Gairdner International Award laureate
Lewis E. Kay named Canada Gairdner International Award laureate
April 4, 2017
University of Toronto Professor Lewis E. Kay has been named a 2017 Canada Gairdner International Award laureate. The Gairdner Awards – Canada’s highest prize for medical science – are often a forerunner to the Nobel Prize.

New flexible sensor holds potential for foldable touch screens
New flexible sensor holds potential for foldable touch screens
March 30, 2017
Picture a tablet that you can fold into the size of a phone and put away in your pocket, or an artificial skin that can sense your body’s movements and vital signs. A new, inexpensive sensor developed at the University of British Columbia could help make advanced devices like these a reality.

Online electricity auction on the horizon
Online electricity auction on the horizon
March 8, 2017
Enter a collaboration between the provincial power company, SaskPower, and University of Regina researchers, and the idea of an analytics project that imagines an auctioning tool as part of an innovation solution in the not so far off future.

Better batteries for better electric vehicles
Better batteries for better electric vehicles
February 13, 2017
Electric vehicles promise to revolutionize transportation but they need safer, better-performing batteries. Now, a Faculty of Science researcher at the University of Calgary, and colleagues at the University of Maryland (UMD), College Park in the United States have made major inroads toward developing a next-generation, all solid-state lithium battery.

Changing the face of disaster relief
Changing the face of disaster relief
January 26, 2017
University of New Brunswick (UNB) postdoctoral fellow Shabnam Jabari is developing technology that promises to be a game-changer for government, aid organizations, and first responders around the world.