Funding boost helps advance ocean intelligence

Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) will receive a $7.2 million boost to advance its ocean observatory science and technology activities, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) announced today.

The additional investment will ensure that ONC, a University of Victoria initiative, continues its long-term real-time ocean observing and delivery of data products for ocean health and public safety.

“This investment in science supports Ocean Networks Canada’s world-leading ocean observing infrastructure, bringing data to the surface to share openly over the Internet, supporting research and informing decision-making at this crucial time,” says ONC president/CEO Kate Moran.

ONC’s ocean observatories stream live data 24/7 from all three Canadian coasts to researchers across the country and around the world to study everything from ocean and climate change, to earthquakes and tsunamis, to deep-sea ecosystems and marine biodiversity.

In 2017, CFI provided ONC with $46.6 million over five years through the Canadian government’s Major Science Initiatives Fund, which supports the operating and maintenance costs of select major science facilities across Canada.

“As one of CFI’s Major Science Initiatives, ONC is thrilled that our federal government has fully embraced recommendations made in the independent fundamental science review report,” Moran says.

Read the CFI release.

Media contacts:
ONC Media Relations at onc-comms@uvic.ca

About Ocean Networks Canada:
Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), a University of Victoria initiatve, monitors the west and east coasts of Canada and the Arctic to continuously deliver data in real-time for scientific research that helps communities, governments and industry make informed decisions about our future. Using cabled observatories, remote control systems and interactive sensors, and big data management, ONC enables evidence-based decision-making on ocean management, marine safety and environmental protection. ONC also works in collaboration with educators, students, communities and Indigenous peoples on ocean monitoring initiatives along BC’s coast and in the Arctic.