Canada’s Ocean Supercluster 2021/22 Annual Report

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Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
2021/22 Annual Report

The world is coming together to talk about ocean. Now more than ever, amid the UN Decade for Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, there is an increasing global focus on ocean knowing how critical it is to sustainable economic growth, combatting climate change, and contributing to the health and well-being of communities and people worldwide.

Together with our members, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster has built a growing network that is cohesive and connected and shares a commitment to changing the way ocean business is done, building partnerships, projects, talent, and helping shape the future of ocean in Canada and our collective ocean opportunity.

Ministerial Foreword

“The Ocean Supercluster in particular is positioning Canada’s leadership in the ocean space by bringing together members to harness emerging technologies in Canada’s ocean sector. Over this past year, the Ocean Supercluster has led cutting-edge projects: from BlueVita Technology, which is developing new technologies for live haul storage and transport of aquatic life, to Advanced Biofuels, which is introducing a low carbon biofuel across the marine ecosystem.”

  • The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne
    Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

Message from Chair

“To help lift these new industries up and our more traditional sectors modernize, we will need to attract more talent, learn to gather and use data more effectively, co-operative more diligently amongst sectors so as to learn from each other, play an active role in ensuring the regulatory and public policy arenas play an encouraging role and communicate our message to the world that Canada’s ocean economy is on fire, inviting, and bursting with opportunity.”

  • John Risley
    Chair of the Board

Message from CEO

“This marked our fourth year in our first mandate with projects and programming well underway and the demonstrated outcomes and benefits to Canadians clearly. Based on the activity in 2021–2022 alone, the OSC has enabled the accelerated development of more than 120 new ocean products, processes, and services to sell to the world through collaborative projects involving close to 300 partners from across the country, while also creating more than 4,500 direct jobs and on track to create 20,000 new jobs by 2030.”

  • Kendra MacDonald
    Chief Executive Officer

A Year in Review

For 2021–2022, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster set out to continue to build on its growth, momentum, and benefits to Canadians. We engaged with members and partners from coast-to-coast-to-coast, with a key focus on expanding collaboration, networks, and capacity in Canada’s ocean economy.

Key Performance Indicators

  • Projects:
    • 50+ projects in flight with a total project value of $360 million
    • 10 new projects approved (70 approved projects in total)
    • 20 projects announced publicly including the largest project to date at $65 million
  • Partnerships/Collaborators:
    • Almost 300 partners actively engaged in OSC projects
    • SME partners engaged in 100 per cent of projects
    • Eighty-six per cent of projects are led by a SME
  • Training:
    • 2,500 internships made available for youth and Indigenous peoples exploring a career in ocean
    • 300 students participated in the Future of Oceans grade school lesson pilot
  • Jobs:
    • 4,500 jobs created based on current project activity
    • On track to create 20,000 new jobs by 2030 based on current trajectory
  • Membership:
    • Achieved 500+ member milestone, with 91 new members added
    • Members in nine provinces and one territory
    • 20 international members from 11 different countries
  • Events:
    • More than 1,000 attendees and 70+ new connections made at OSC events
    • Three CEO Forums co-hosted with ACOA
    • Variety of webinars and events co-hosted with other clusters and partner organizations
  • Raising Awareness:
    • Coverage in more than 50 media articles and stories in both Canada and internationally, including three co-authored op-eds in national publications
    • Strategic awareness campaigns through Forbes, Canadian Geographic, MIT, The Globe and Mail, National Newswatch, Amazon Prime, and others
    • Recipient of Clean50 Award and Clean16 Award for Canada

 

What Members and Partners are Saying About the OSC

 “The support we’ve received from this community and the Ocean Supercluster has enabled us to reach this important milestone. Now the real work begins as we work to pilot and scale up our carbon removal technology!” – Jason Vallis, Planetary (upon receiving the XPrize as one of the 15 teams globally for their carbon removal technology)

“The project would not have existed if it wasn’t for the OSC. The impetus to even come up with this solution came 100 per cent from the OSC and the opportunity they offer.” – Alastair O’Rielly from Northern Shrimp Research Foundation on Fishing Smarter Not Harder project milestone

“Having the opportunity to be supported by Canada’s Ocean Supercluster in the early stages of COAST has been invaluable. It tethered us to the momentum, wisdom, and efforts underway elsewhere in the country. And, it connected COAST to a network of innovation hubs, organizations, and others looking build the blue economy across Canada from coast-to-coast-to-coast
in ways that are innovative, supportive, and deeply collaborative.”- Emilie de Rosenroll, Founding CEO, Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies (COAST)

Read the full Canada’s Ocean Supercluster 2021/22 Annual Report here…