Terry Fox Research Institute

What Terry Fox Research Institute does

The Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI) is a Canadian non-profit research organization established in 2007 and headquartered in Vancouver, BC, with a regional office opened in Montreal in 2022 at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM). TFRI operates as the research arm of The Terry Fox Foundation, managing approximately $27 million in combined annual funding for discovery, translational research and training across Canadian cancer research institutions. The institute is led by President and Scientific Director Dr. Jim Woodgett and governed by a Board of Directors, with regional nodes covering all Canadian provinces.

TFRI's core offerings are two federally-backed national initiatives: the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network (MOHCCN), a $150 million Government of Canada-funded pan-Canadian network uniting top cancer hospitals and research centres to compile genomic data from cancer patients (now exceeding 15,000 sequenced genomes via the Gold Cohort), and the Digital Health and Discovery Platform (DHDP), a $49 million federally-supported initiative co-led with Imagia that provides technological and policy infrastructure to share and analyze large volumes of health data. These platforms are complemented by a portfolio of competitive grant programs including the New Frontiers Program Project Grants ($12M in 2023, $19.8M in 2024, $14.5M in 2025), Terry Fox New Investigator Awards ($3.5M in 2026, the largest cohort to date), TFRI-MOHCCN Technology Development Awards, the Cancer Research Training Program, and a 2026-launched first-of-its-kind national Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials Program backed by $25M across nine funding partners.

TFRI's revenue model is exclusively non-commercial: funding flows from charitable donations collected through the Terry Fox Run (over $600 million worldwide in 30+ years; Foundation total over $1 billion since 1980), federal grants from the Government of Canada, and multi-partner philanthropic contributions. TFRI distributes funds through competitive peer-reviewed grants to research teams at Canadian institutions, with no products or services sold. Its primary customer segments are cancer researchers, early-career scientists, clinical trial investigators, Canadian cancer research institutions, and healthcare AI innovators within DHDP's network.

Name

Terry Fox Research Institute

Legal name

THE TERRY FOX RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Website

https://www.tfri.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TFRI is the non-profit research arm of The Terry Fox Foundation, established in 2007 in Vancouver. It distributes approximately $27 million annually in competitive grants and leads the federally-funded Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network and Digital Health and Discovery Platform across Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Research Funding and Coordination

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Medical Oncology (HLAKAFAB)

Keywords

• Cancer research funding
• Precision oncology research
• Genomic data sharing
• Clinical trial grants
• Biomedical research institute

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Primary revenue through donations from millions of Canadian volunteers and donors via Terry Fox annual runs. For more than 30 years, runs have raised more than $600 million worldwide for cancer research. The Terry Fox Foundation surpassed $1 billion in total funds raised for cancer research since 1980.
2. Government Grants and Partnerships: Government of Canada and partner investments including $150 million over five years for the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network, $49 million for the Digital Health and Discovery Platform, and $41 million for cancer prevention research with 19 research teams.
3. Multi-Partner Clinical Research Funding: Partnership-based funding including $25 million multi-partner investment for investigator-initiated clinical trials supporting rare, underserved, and low-survival cancers, bringing together major cancer research funders including Cancer Research Society, Canadian Cancer Society, and others.
4. Foundation and Private Grants: Funding from foundations and partners including the River Philip Foundation. Terry Fox New Investigator Awards provide $450,000 over three years to early career scientists, with the 2026 competition representing the largest investment at $3.5 million to seven researchers.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Terry Fox Research Institute is a non-profit research institute that functions as the research arm of The Terry Fox Foundation, investing and managing approximately $27 million in combined funding for cancer discovery, translational research, and training across Canada. It operates two flagship pan-Canadian precision medicine initiatives—the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network (MOHCCN) and the Digital Health and Discovery Platform (DHDP)—and distributes multiple competitive grant programs including New Investigator Awards, New Frontiers Program Project Grants, Technology Development Awards, and Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials to cancer research teams across Canadian institutions.

Product overview

The Terry Fox Research Institute operates as a research funding and coordination organization rather than a traditional product company. Its core offerings consist of two major pan-Canadian initiatives: the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network (MOHCCN) for genomic data sharing and precision oncology, and the Digital Health and Discovery Platform (DHDP) for technological infrastructure supporting data analysis. These are complemented by multiple funding programs including Terry Fox New Investigator Awards, New Frontiers Program Project Grants, TFRI-MOHCCN Technology Development Awards, and the Cancer Research Training Program. The organization functions as the research arm of The Terry Fox Foundation, managing approximately $27 million in combined funding for discovery and translational cancer research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network: A bold vision led by TFRI and The Terry Fox Foundation that unites Canada's top cancer hospitals and research centres to create the Team Canada of Cancer Research, advancing precision medicine for cancer patients.
• Digital Health and Discovery Platform (DHDP)
• Terry Fox New Investigator Awards
• Terry Fox New Frontiers Program Project Grants

Products and services

• Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network (MOHCCN) A pan-Canadian network led by TFRI and supported by the Government of Canada that unites Canada's top cancer hospitals and research centres to create the Team Canada of Cancer Research. The network compiles genomic data from cancer patients and delivers genome-informed care to patients with advanced cancers.
• Digital Health and Discovery Platform (DHDP) A pan-Canadian initiative co-led by TFRI with support from the Government of Canada that provides cutting-edge technological and policy infrastructure to share and analyze large amounts of health data generated through MOHCCN, advancing precision medicine for cancer and other diseases.
• Terry Fox New Investigator Awards Funding awards supporting early career scientists as they establish laboratories and pursue innovative projects in cancer prevention, detection, and treatment. Recipients advance immunotherapy, precision treatments, and genomic medicine across Canadian research institutions.
• Terry Fox New Frontiers Program Project Grants (PPGs) Long-term funding grants supporting multi-disciplinary research teams working on key areas of cancer development and treatment. These prestigious grants enable teams to pursue comprehensive research programs with substantial funding over multiple years.
• TFRI–MOHCCN Technology Development Awards Joint funding initiative from TFRI and MOHCCN supporting the deployment of novel technologies to accelerate precision medicine for cancer, including standardized approaches for analyzing clinical cancer samples.
• Terry Fox Cancer Research Training Program Training awards supporting the next generation of cancer researchers in Canada, including co-funding with the Canadian Cancer Society for Master's, PhD students, and postdoctoral fellows.
• Investigator Initiated Clinical Trials Program A first-of-its-kind national program supporting investigator-initiated clinical trials with grants of up to $2 million over five years, focusing on rare, underserved, and low-survival cancers not sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 15,000 cancer patient genomes sequenced and compiled in the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Cancer Research SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026First-of-its-kind national partnership to support investigator-initiated clinical trials across Canada, backed by a $25-million multi-partner investment. CRS contributed as co-funder alongside Canadian Cancer Society and TFRI.
• Canadian Cancer SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026Partnership for first-of-its-kind national clinical cancer research program supporting investigator-initiated clinical trials for rare, underserved, and low-survival cancers.
• Génome QuébecmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026Quebec research partner in the national clinical trials program addressing rare and underserved cancers.
• SickKids Garron Family Cancer CentremajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026Pediatric cancer research partner supporting investigator-initiated clinical trials for rare and underserved cancers.
• Childhood Cancer CanadamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026Childhood cancer research funder contributing to the national clinical trials initiative.
• BioCanRxmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026Biotherapeutics research partner in the national clinical cancer research program.
• Institut du cancer de MontréalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026Montreal-based cancer research institute as part of the multi-partner clinical trials initiative.
• AsenionmajorTechnology or Integration · 11 April 2026AI governance platform for healthcare (formerly Fairly AI + anch.AI) joined DHDP to provide governance infrastructure including risk management, regulatory compliance, transparency, and accountability tools to DHDP's network of healthcare AI innovators.
• Break Through CancermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 September 2025US-based foundation leading a $15 million investment in pediatric osteosarcoma research with eight leading research institutions including TFRI, addressing the rare bone cancer that Terry Fox had.
• ImagiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain partner in leading the Digital Health and Discovery Platform, a $49M pan-Canadian initiative accelerating medical breakthroughs and precision medicine.
• Terry Fox FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTFRI functions as the research arm of The Terry Fox Foundation, distributing funds raised through Terry Fox Runs to support national cancer research initiatives.
• Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network partnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDozens of research and funding partners across Canada supporting the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network, united as the Team Canada of Cancer Research.
• Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner with Dr. Morag Park leading cancer research projects through TFRI funding programs including Terry Fox New Frontiers Program Project Grant.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cancer Research Society: Canadian nonprofit that funds cancer research across all types of cancer; co-funds TFRI's investigator-initiated clinical trials program and shares Canadian cancer research funding mandate.
• Canadian Cancer Society: Canada's largest national cancer charity funding research and support; co-funds TFRI investigator-initiated clinical trials and training programs, directly overlapping in research grantmaking.
• Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR): Ontario provincially-funded cancer research institute conducting genomics, translational, and clinical research; shares TFRI's pan-Canadian cancer research and precision medicine mandate.
• Stand Up To Cancer: US charitable program funding translational cancer research through team-based 'Dream Teams'; structurally similar to TFRI's New Frontiers Program Project Grants model and precision oncology focus.
• V Foundation for Cancer Research: US cancer research charity funding high-impact research grants; comparable in mission (funding cancer research through peer-reviewed grants) and named-fund model to TFRI programs.
• Break Through Cancer: US foundation leading a $15M pediatric osteosarcoma research investment; named TFRI among partner institutions, representing a peer funder co-investing in Canadian cancer research.
• BioCanRx: Canadian Network of Centres of Excellence funding biotherapeutics for cancer; partnered with TFRI on the $25M investigator-initiated clinical trials program for rare cancers.

Broad incumbents

• Cancer Research UK: The world's largest independent cancer research charity; similar mission of funding research across discovery, translational, and clinical stages, with a much larger scope and budget than TFRI.
• National Cancer Institute (NCI): US federal government's principal agency for cancer research and training; analogous to TFRI's national-scale cancer research mandate but vastly larger in scope and funding.

Emerging players

• Genome Canada: Canadian federal funding agency for genomics research; comparably supports large-scale genomic research infrastructure and shares TFRI's precision medicine data-sharing orientation, though broader than cancer-specific.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tfri_research
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheTerryFoxFoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments3 records

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Frequently asked questions about Terry Fox Research Institute