Auteur/autrice : paddy.moore@oceansupercluster.ca
Diversity and Inclusion is our Corporate Culture
I am fortunate to call Canada home. As a Canadian, I think we often forget how inherently diverse we are as a population. I’m often telling international clients that in some of our larger cities, we can eat from a variety of cultures and for many of us – this is the new normal. But I’m very cognizant that it hasn’t always been this way.
I myself grew up in a small town of 19,000 people in Southern Ontario that was predominantly white. Born to immigrant parents that moved to Canada a few years before I was born, in my high school of 1800 students, the total number of “non-white” kids could be counted amongst two hands. Our family vacations consisted of road trips to various technical conferences around North America (hello family business) and a trip to India every 2 years to visit grandparents and cousins. As a businessman in small-town Ontario, my father insisted that we integrate as much as possible, while my mother maintained certain Indian traditions as well as the link to family in India. I started travelling at 16 – first on exchange to Switzerland and then to various internships all over the world. As travelling does, my eyes and mind opened drastically in those formative years and I believe it has made me the leader I am today.
I’m often asked if we have a diversity strategy at SensorTech, as we have an incredibly diverse workforce (and we always have). Bashfully, I always respond no – because frankly we don’t need it.
Diversity occurs naturally when you hire the best candidate for the job.
SensorTech has become a world leader in custom piezoceramics and underwater acoustics as a result of our world class products, cutting edge technology and experienced personnel – however we have no doubt benefited from our diversity. From the very beginning, SensorTech has been a diverse company, hiring the best candidate for each position, regardless of background. Today we still believe that diversity occurs naturally within any organization when you hire the best candidate for the job. Having a diverse workforce has allowed us to make connections and establish ourselves in global markets which may have otherwise been difficult to penetrate. We have been able to develop products we may not have otherwise envisioned due to not only of cultural background but also of diversity in experience and ideas. As a visible minority female CEO of a company that operates primarily in the defence market, diversity is something I am faced with on a daily basis.
I also feel it is critically important to support underrepresented groups so we can get to the point where they are among the best candidates applying for jobs; to ensure that women and visible minorities are afforded the opportunity to see themselves as industry leaders in this and all sectors.
Over the years, we have always supported local students who want to pursue Science and Engineering. We have recently sponsored an entrance bursary at the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) which will be awarded annually to a female or person who identifies as a visible minority who enrols in the Ocean Technology program.
My challenge to other Ocean Tech companies is to see what they can do – whether it’s a co-op position, or a bursary, or even a mentorship. Small efforts can make big impacts, not only for the student but for an organization as well.
Ultimately diversity and inclusion shouldn’t be a strategy. They should be part of the fabric of your organization. When we stop worrying about race and language barriers, we can start focusing on the technology that will help us better understand the Oceans.
Niru Somayajula
President & CEO at Sensor Technology Ltd
Ocean Supercluster Announces Second Call for Accelerated Ocean Projects
Ocean Supercluster Announces Second Call for Accelerated Ocean Projects
(St. John’s, NL) Canada’s Ocean Supercluster (OSC) has launched a second Canada-wide Call for Proposals for its Accelerated Ocean Solutions Program (AOSP) to further invest in ocean projects and trigger additional industry investment in innovation and capacity-building in oceans during this challenging time. The AOSP supplements the Ocean Supercluster’s core programs in Technology Leadership and Innovation Ecosystem.
“We had an incredible response to our first Call for Proposals under the accelerated program in May that saw an influx of new OSC members and some very exciting new projects that we look forward to announcing in the fall,” said OSC CEO Kendra MacDonald. “With continued uncertainties due to the global pandemic, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is driving new opportunities for accelerated ocean projects, while also seeing continued momentum in our core programming. “MacDonald says these OSC projects will commercialize Canadian-made ocean solutions that have applications across ocean sectors and with a market opportunity that is global, generating significant economic benefits including growing ocean companies and retaining and creating more jobs in Canada.
The Accelerated Ocean Solutions Program July 2020 Call for Proposals is an opportunity for projects that can be completed in less than two years. It is deadline-driven and competitive with a focus on three Project Themes including: remote operations; digital/automated technologies; and environmental technologies.
The application process is now open and begins with Expressions of Interest which must be submitted by August 11, 2020 at 4 p.m. Atlantic time to be considered. For complete details, visit https://oceansupercluster.ca/projects/accelerated-ocean-solutions-program/
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About Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is an industry-led transformative cluster focused on tackling the shared challenges of multiple ocean sectors through a collaborative program designed to accelerate the development and commercialization of globally relevant solutions. This includes leaders in fisheries, aquaculture, offshore resources, bioresources, transportation, marine renewables, defence, and ocean technologies who are committed to leveraging collective strengths and working together. For more information visit www.oceansupercluster.ca
Media Contact
Nancy Andrews
nancy.andrews@oceansupercluster.ca
709.725.7070
Two-Eyed Seeing in the Ocean Economy – Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science Working Together – National Indigenous Peoples Day
Oceans are not only an important part of our lives, but our livelihood. As we look to build the ocean economy for the benefit of all Canadians, there is a balance we must achieve, a respect we must demonstrate, and a commitment to sustainability we must employ.
The ocean has helped sustain us for generations. As we build our ocean economy, it’s up to us to do it in a way that helps mitigate risks and allows us to contribute to ocean health, so it continues to sustain those generations to come.
From time immemorial, Indigenous communities have had a strong presence and bond to the Oceans. This relationship is all encompassing and cannot be described with traditional boundaries. For instance, the Mi’kmaq are stewards of the marine environment for their ancestral home of Mi’kma’ki (the entire Atlantic region in Canada).
By referring to the ways of Msit-No’kmaw (“All my Relations”), it is understood that every living and non-living being must be treated with respect. All beings whether they are on land, freshwater or oceans are interconnected. This can be explained by observing the life cycle of diadromous fish, such as the Atlantic Salmon and the American Eel, which are an important species for the Mi’kmaq.
Indigenous involvement in fisheries, whether it be for commercial or ceremonial purposes are important for sustaining communities and livelihoods.
However, it is also understood that a balanced approach is needed to ensure this relationship between people and the marine environment can continue in the future. By practicing Netukulimk, the Mi’kmaq take only what is needed from the environment. Integral to this worldview is the responsibility of not harming or damaging the environment for the sake of the next seven generations. Netukulimk is not only a way of being, it serves as guiding principle for practicing sustainability.
The oceans also have a great cultural significance to Indigenous peoples. Legends and stories passed down orally from generation to generation offer knowledge about the marine environment. From the Mi’kmaq creation story to travel routes providing access to the Bay of Fundy, there are lessons and cultural practices that revolve around the oceans. Indigenous Knowledge offers a wholistic perspective, one that supports sustainability.
By practicing Etuaptmumk (“Two-Eyed Seeing”), two worldviews, western science and Indigenous Knowledge, can be brought together to develop best practices. The “Two-Eyed Seeing” approach gives the opportunity to build relationships, as well as integrate wholistic perspectives with science-based techniques.
We know when we come together and collaborate we may bring together different ideas, insights, and experience, but this only increases the opportunity for innovation. I look forward to continued, and even more, “Two Eyed Seeing” as we begin to realize this kind of collaborative innovation and work together toward sustainable ocean growth.
Angeline Gillis, B.A., LL.B
Associate Executive Director – OSC Board Director
Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq
#WorldOceansDay – Working Together For Sustainable Growth & Resilience in Oceans
Competition to Reward Innovators and Entrepreneurs Who Can Solve Ocean-Related Industry Challenges
HALIFAX, NS (June 5, 2020) – Today, the Ocean Startup Project launched a competition, the Ocean Startup Challenge, for innovators and entrepreneurs from rural, Indigenous and urban communities, across Canada and internationally.
While the world’s ocean economy is projected to reach $3 trillion by 2030, to achieve that potential industry must first overcome significant challenges. To that end, the Ocean Startup Challenge is designed to find and support innovators and companies developing products or technologies that can be applied to solve such challenges. There has never been a better time to start and grow an ocean company in Canada.
The challenges span aquaculture, fisheries, ocean transportation, bioscience, energy, healthy oceans and ecosystem services, energy, enabling technologies and data analytics.
“For the Ocean Startup Challenge, we sought input from industry and thought leaders who shared their top pain points across each of those areas,” said Don Grant, Executive Director, Ocean Startup Project. « Based on that input, the Challenge presents innovators with a pre-identified, potential market need and asks them to step up to apply their ideas or technologies as ways to solve the challenges. »
For the Challenge’s initial phase, up to 10 prizes of $25,000 each will be awarded to the winning startups and scaleups to prototype their respective solutions. Winners will also receive key resources, support and connections that innovators need to succeed, including sharing $18,000 in collective services and resources from in-kind sponsors. They may also be eligible to participate in a follow-on Ocean Startup Project activity, involving up to another $100,000 awarded to finalists. Even those who are not selected as winners during the Challenge still stand to benefit from training through invitation-only, virtual bootcamps as well as guidance and support from partnering organizations in the Atlantic Canadian ecosystem.
« We welcome applications with innovative solutions and perspectives that could have a major impact on industry and the ocean economy, » added Grant. « The Challenge is an opportunity to identify, support and grow the next Canadian ocean tech success stories. »
The Ocean Startup Challenge is led by the Ocean Startup Project, the first Innovation Ecosystem Project announced by Canada’s Ocean Supercluster. The Ocean Startup Project is a pan-Atlantic collaboration to create and grow high-quality ocean technology companies and attract more ventures to the region’s ecosystem. Collaborators include: Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) – Atlantic, Genesis, Innovacorp, New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, PEI BioAlliance, and Springboard Atlantic.
In-kind supporters of the Ocean Startup Challenge include BDO Canada, Enginuity, IGNITE, McInnes Cooper, Propel, and Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre. For more information about the Ocean Startup Challenge, visit oceanstartupchallenge.ca.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Donald Grant, Executive Director, Ocean Startup Project
challenge@oceanstartupproject.ca
902-292-0244
Welcoming the Newest OSC Team Member, Nichola Anderson
Looking Ahead With Optimism By John Risley
To say the Atlantic Canadian economy needs a real shot in the arm now is an obvious understatement. The fishery is being hurt by low prices, the offshore oil industry by the same (and the resulting delays being announced for many capital projects) and the service industry generally all but shut down. I understand the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is even saying tourists won’t be welcome this year. Who could have imagined this just 3 months ago?
But we are a proud and resourceful lot and I am convinced that spirit will rise up and drive economic growth in ways not imagined just those same 3 months ago. Nowhere should this be more obvious than within the ocean sector and nowhere are there better opportunities for our companies. The fishing industry, never known for its technological prowess needs to look to technology to reduce costs, improve operating efficiencies and otherwise better understand the ecosystem on which it is so dependent. Newfoundland’s offshore oil industry is under huge cost pressures and new discovery opportunities are in deeper water and more distant from shore making them amongst the expensive plays to engage and exploit. It will be a pre-condition for jobs and all important tax revenue to flow from these exciting prospects that more work be done remotely, that ways be found to operate many functions autonomously (and safely of course) and that new methods and practices be brought to bear to lower the risk and the cost of operating in such a hostile environment.
Your Ocean Supercluster has an important role to play in encouraging, prompting, stimulating, and supporting innovation across the ocean economy. We want bright minds with new ideas and lots of enthusiasm. We are investing in building up the innovation ecosystem at the level of all the incubators across the region, where through projects like the Ocean Startup Project, networks like the Creative Destruction Lab, and world-class facilities like the Cove facility in Dartmouth, anywhere an entrepreneur has the ambition to launch a business touching the ocean economy, they can.
And why I am so optimistic as to the prospects for what is possible is because I see and live the scale of the opportunity. I believe we have just reached a critical mass here in Atlantic Canada wherein, or whereupon, emerging businesses in everything from environmental monitoring, to undersea robotics, to remote sensing, to information technologies, to the general application of new sciences to real business imperatives can all now find local support, a customer base, and the intellectual and financial capital necessary to turn these ideas into jobs and profit. And then, to sell those products and services to the rest of the world.
I can not imagine a better time to start a new enterprise. Never in my almost 50 years in business have I seen better availability of capital for early stage companies, never a market so focused on ways to improve, to cut costs, to be innovative, to be differentiated. And never a community so willing to help spud and grow these businesses and celebrate their early successes.
I am tremendously proud of the team at the Ocean Supercluster. We are here to help. Come talk to us.
Chair of OSC Board of Directors
CFFI Ventures Inc.
John Risley
Call for Proposals for Short-Term Ocean Projects to Help Stimulate the Economy
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster to Invest up to $35M in New Accelerated Ocean Solutions Program
(May 8, 2020) Today Canada’s Ocean Supercluster (OSC) announced a Canada-wide Call for Proposals for its new Accelerated Ocean Solutions Program (Program). Through the Program, the supercluster will invest up to $35 million in short-term ocean projects that will help stimulate the economy during this challenging time. This will supplement the OSC’s core programs in Technology Leadership and Innovation Ecosystem, and is intended to trigger additional industry investment in innovation, capability-building, and helping build resilience in the ocean economy.
“While we remain focused on staying healthy and safe, it’s incumbent upon us to also create opportunities to continue to deliver commercial outcomes and contribute to Canada’s economic recovery,” says CEO Kendra MacDonald. “As we look to new opportunities in ocean to help grow the economy post-COVID-19, advancing as many strong Ocean Supercluster projects as possible has never been more important.”
As significant impacts are being felt across ocean sectors, companies are looking to manage through this difficult time and come out stronger. MacDonald says for the Ocean Supercluster while the momentum continues to grow with increasing membership and an active pipeline of large-scale projects, this is an opportunity to further support members and stimulate activity with smaller-scale projects that can be completed in less than two years.
The Accelerated Ocean Solutions Program Call for Proposals is focused on three Project Themes including: remote operations; digital/automated technologies; and environmental technologies, and four Project Types that will be considered including: product/service advancement and commercialization; capacity and infrastructure; process enhancement; and innovation ecosystem. Projects must have a compelling strategy to capitalize on emerging opportunities and overcome challenges in the context of the current market and operational conditions, and deliver a definitive outcome in an accelerated timeframe.
The application process is now open and begins with Expressions of Interest which must be submitted by May 22, 2020 at 2 p.m. Atlantic time to be considered. For complete details, visit https://oceansupercluster.ca/projects/accelerated-ocean-solutions-program/
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About Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is an industry-led transformative cluster focused on tackling the shared challenges of multiple ocean sectors through a collaborative program designed to accelerate the development and commercialization of globally relevant solutions. This includes leaders in fisheries, aquaculture, offshore resources, transportation, marine renewables, defence, bioresources, and ocean technologies who are committed to leveraging collective strengths and working together. For more information visit www.oceansupercluster.ca
Media Contact
Nancy Andrews
nancy.andrews@oceansupercluster.ca
709.725.7070
Update from OSC – COVID-19 Measures – Monday, May 4, 2020
As we look to ocean opportunities to help drive Canada’s economic recovery post COVID-19, advancing as many strong projects as possible has never been more important. To help facilitate this, last week we announced new options to support our members and provide financial relief. These options include reduced innovation and administration contribution for industry members, contributions of up to $50,000 for eligible project development costs, and project advances. More information on these new options for members can be found in the video below:
In May there will be continued opportunities for virtual engagement, including our OSC member event on May 27 where technology will enable us to participate in an interactive afternoon including a keynote, virtual networking, industry booths, and a fireside chat. Members have been asked to save the date with details on the agenda to come shortly. For those who aren’t yet members but would like to join the Ocean Supercluster and attend this event, please contact membership@oceansupercluster.ca. Also, coming up this week on May 7 is the latest free Ocean Startup Project webinar on ocean tech sustainability, commercialization, and research with special guest Dr. Kate Moran.
OSC members and partners, stay connected, healthy, and safe. If there is anything the Ocean Supercluster can do to further support you, our team is here to help.
Kendra MacDonald
CEO, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
