The TSRI promotes existing research partnerships and fosters the development of new collaborations between non-government and federal government researchers. These new joint projects focus on emerging issues not adequately addressed by existing research. There are five priority research areas supported by the TSRI, which were established by scientific experts in the private and the public sectors. The research funded by the TSRI includes projects designed to benefit ecosystems and specific populations at risk such as children, Aboriginal people, and the elderly. POPs are chemicals which exist in the environment for long periods of time, can concentrate and accumulate in the food chain, and can travel great distances through the atmosphere.
Air pollutants have an effect on the quality of urban air.
Exposure to airborne pollutants has been linked to a variety of respiratory and cardiac health effects. Cumulative effects are the accumulation of multiple and diverse toxic substances found in the environment and that affect at-risk populations. The TSRI has funded over 95 research projects since the Initiative's inception, representing more than 350 researchers from both the public and the private sectors. Each of the TSRI projects undergoes scientific technical peer review. A Science Management Committee, composed of senior scientists and science managers from both government and non-government organizations, oversees the peer review process and finalizes the funding decisions.