OceansAdvance Inc.

Overview

OceansAdvance Inc.was formally established in 2005. with a mission to foster and promote the
growth and development of the ocean technology cluster in Newfoundland and Labrador by
aligning industry, academia, research and government. OceansAdvance is governed by a Board
of Directors whose members come largely from the private sector.

Background

The emergence of an ocean-technology cluster was a natural development resulting from the region's
historical and cultural attachment to the sea, its strategic location in the North Atlantic, and the fact
that over 90 per cent of its population live near the ocean. For the last several decades, the federal
and provincial governments have targeted the St. John's area for investment in R&D infrastructure and
academic and technical expertise in ocean technology expanded rapidly. The combination of these
conditions—historical and cultural roots, geography, and support from both levels of government—
provided the environment that made the development of an ocean technology cluster an evolutionary
event. Currently, the cluster is one of the fastest growing components of the Newfoundland and Labrador
economy and is recognized as a leader in ocean technology in Canada.

Early Foundation

The idea of an ocean research specialization in Newfoundland dates back to the establishment of the
Ocean Sciences Centre at Memorial University in the mid-1960s. The University furthered oceans research
with the establishment of the Centre for Cold Ocean Resources Engineering (C-CORE) in 1975. At the
same time, the Provincial Government established the Newfoundland Oceans Research and Development
Corporation (NORDCO).

In the early 1970s, offshore oil exploration led to a small community of ocean technology consultants
trading on the oil companies' unfamiliarity with ice, and government interest in the offshore.  Activity
peaked at the time of the Hibernia discovery in 1979. In parallel with oil exploration, provincial and
federal governments made investments in ocean technology infrastructure, most notably the NRC
Institute for Marine Dynamics (now called the Institute for Ocean Technology) and the Institute of
Fisheries and Marine Technology (Marine Institute), both of which opened in 1985. Furthermore, the
provincial and federal governments also invested in advanced science and technology facilities including
the Ocean Engineering Research Centre, the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Resources, the Offshore
Safety and Survival Centre, the Centre for Marine Simulation and the Canadian Centre for Marine
Communications.

A Cluster Emerging

In 1997, a study conducted by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), “Prospects for Growing
Knowledge-based Industrial Clusters in Atlantic Canada”, identified the St. John's ocean-engineering
cluster as a key element in developing knowledge-based industries in the Atlantic region. 

Concurrently, St. John's was already developing a reputation as a centre for ocean technology. Certain
aspects, such as R&D infrastructure in cold-ocean engineering, marine communications, marine simulation
and related advanced technologies, were already in place, as were various support agencies to facilitate
business development and commercialization.

In 1998 the National Research Council (NRC) felt there was sufficient interest in this province to develop
a cluster in Newfoundland and Labrador relating to the ocean industry. They moved forward with their
idea by hosting a Roundtable of representatives from industry, various agencies from all three levels of
government and academia.

ACOA’s Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF) then made monies available and NRC was successful in garnering
support and funding for the expansion of the Institute for Ocean Technology (formerly Institute for Marine
Dynamics) and to create the Ocean Technology Enterprise Centre (OTEC), which provides a supportive
environment for the growth and development of new ventures. Funds were also secured from NRC-
IRAP to create OceansAdvance. As time progressed so too did the support of the federal and provincial
governments. The newly created Research and Development Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador
showed significant interest in the sector, and industry began to take a leadership role. In April 2005, with
funding cost-shared among ACOA, the provincial government’s former Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development and NRC-IRAP, and project support from Industry Canada, OceansAdvance was incorporated as an industry-led ocean technology cluster organization.