Canadian Forum for Social Innovation

As a response to higher education’s current challenges and the needs of our innovation ecosystems, CFSI 2026 gathered stakeholders at the University of Calgary on June 1-3, 2026 to chart a plan of action for a future-ready talent strategy. On June 3, the CFSI Symposium launched the Strategic Science and Innovation Leadership Initiative (SSIL): a high-level national dialogue on the science and research strategy Canada needs to support a more holistic approach to conceiving, implementing and maintaining the conditions for inclusive prosperity.

The third edition of the CFSI took place at Dalhousie University on June 2-4, 2025. The Forum was designed as a space to discuss strategies for enabling mission-driven innovation that can respond to complexity and systemic challenges in Canada’s traditional models of commercialization and economic growth.

Social innovation stakeholders participated in 4 cross-sectorial, bilingual consultation sessions in Toronto (April 8, 2024), Ottawa/Wakefield (April 26, 2024), Montreal (May 10, 2024) and Calgary (May 28, 2024) to build consensus on a vision for Canada’s innovation ecosystem before convening for the second edition of the CFSI at the Université de Montréal on June 11-12, 2024. The goal of the Forum was to identify key actions and build a strategy for social, cultural, environmental and economic impact in Canada.

The first edition of the Canadian Forum on Social Innovation (CFSI) convened social research and innovation stakeholders across sectors at McMaster University on October 12-13, 2022 to explore how policy, education and practice can be aligned to foster innovation and build capacity in the social and municipal sectors.