St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Support from the Government of Canada of more than $200,000 will help OceansAdvance of St. John’s continue its work of promoting and supporting the development of Newfoundland and Labrador’s ocean technology sector. The announcement was made today by the Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and La Francophonie.
“OceansAdvance is a respected champion of the province’s growing ocean technology sector and an organization that serves as an innovative facilitator of collaboration and alignment of the sector’s industry, government, academic and research partners,” said Minister Valcourt. “The Government of Canada is pleased to support OceansAdvance as it fosters networks and helps build alliances to ensure the Province, and Atlantic Canada, remains a global leader in ocean technology solutions, creating jobs and economic growth.”
The investment will help OceansAdvance carry out its mandate to help develop and promote innovative and achievable developments in the province’s growing ocean technology sector. The Government of Canada investments include $111,000 from ACOA, and $90,000 from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP).
“OceansAdvance has achieved a major milestone in the completion of Outward Bound 2015, a strategic agenda for growing the ocean technology sector in the province,” said Captain Tony Patterson, Chair of the Board of Directors of OceansAdvance Inc. “Implementation of this plan has the cooperation and support of all members of the sector. Outward Bound 2015 will continue to result in major long- term economic benefits to the province as commercial opportunities in the global marketplace are identified and developed.”
Since its inception in 2001, the OceansAdvance initiative has brought together entrepreneurs, researchers, academics and government stakeholders from Newfoundland and Labrador's and Canada's ocean technology community. OceansAdvance has a mandate to promote research and innovation capacity through the stimulation of intellectual property development and the accelerate development of the sector’s skilled workforce, as well as the generation of new start-up companies and the enhancement of international export and business opportunities in the ocean technology sector. The cluster represents 52 companies with combined annual revenues of $509 million.
FOR BROADCAST USE:
Bernard Valcourt, Minister of ACOA announced today more than $200,000 in federal funding for OceansAdvance, an industry-led organization, representing 52 companies in Newfoundland and Labrador’s growing oceans technology sector. OceansAdvance has a mandate to build research and development capacity and to enhance international export and business opportunities in the province.
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INFORMATION:
Andrea Richer
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Bernard Valcourt
613-790-3637
Doug Burgess
Director, Public Affairs
ACOA NL
709-772-2935
Derek Yetman
Communications Coordinator
National Research Council Canada
St John's, NL
709-772-6001
Les O’Reilly
Executive Director
OceansAdvance
709-738-7069
