Campaign Priority

Drive scientific discovery

The basic and applied sciences help answer fundamental questions about our world and pave the way for the medicines, technologies, and industries we rely on. Investing in this work creates a reservoir of ideas and discoveries to meet tomorrow’s challenges.

The impulse to understand the secrets of nature and decode the building blocks of life is one of humanity’s most enduring traits. It drives us to understand our biology, our ecosystems, our planet, and our place in the cosmos. It creates better tools for solving old problems but also uncovers all kinds of new and exciting problems to solve. 

Curiosity-driven scientific research is the font of invention and innovation. Without it, we wouldn’t have life-saving vaccines, new sources of energy, the internet, or any of the technologies that define modern life. The University of Toronto, together with its hospital and research partners, has a long history of making discoveries that completely change what’s possible in our world. Insulin transformed millions of lives globally. Stem cells—discovered by researchers at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and U of T—spawned an entirely new branch of medicine that is finding ways to regenerate damaged or diseased cells, organs, and tissues. Deep learning and neural networks are now powering an AI revolution that is transforming industries as diverse as cybersecurity, drug discovery, education, finance, gaming, health care, law, manufacturing, retail, and transportation. 

These kinds of advances do not happen without robust support for basic and applied research and teaching. For discovery rarely follows a straightforward path. It requires time, resources, and experimentation. And often the ideas and avenues of inquiry that seem far-fetched are the very things that create the greatest impact.

Today our researchers are pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence, astrophysics, chemistry, data science, molecular biology, materials science, neuroscience, nanoscience, and many other fields. By supporting free and open inquiry in the sciences, you can help lay the groundwork for tomorrow’s game-changing ideas, breakthroughs, and discoveries.

Discover how U of T is driving scientific discovery

A woman wears goggles, gloves and a mask. She is connecting looping wires between different parts of a machine.
Unleash advanced materials and molecular breakthroughs

The Acceleration Consortium deploys self-driving labs to spur discoveries for more eco-friendly products, green energy, and cutting-edge health care.

A woman wears a lab coat, gloves, goggles and a hijab. She decants a clear liquid while standing at a bench full of beakers.
Transform drug discovery to reduce suffering

The Centre for Medicinal Chemistry has made significant breakthroughs in redefining the methods and economics of drug discovery.

A toddler peers into a virtual reality headset strapped to her head. She is in a room lit with blue light.
Translate Big Data into real-world solutions

The Data Sciences Institute draws actionable and ethical insights from the vast amounts of information collected around the world.

An image of a robotic hand superimposed on a real hand. It seems as if the robotic structure is inside a ghostly human hand.
Open entirely new frontiers with robotics

The University of Toronto Robotics Institute is merging engineering and computer science to open worlds once beyond our reach.

A galaxy: a swirl of stars in different colours, with a bright glowing centre.
Explore humanity’s future in the cosmos

The School of Cosmic Future at the Faculty of Arts & Science will examine the fundamental questions facing our species.

Help us drive scientific discovery:

Choose a featured initiative to support with a donation today, create a legacy through a planned gift or contact us to discuss possibilities.