Overview
Over 300 companies operate in Nova Scotia's oceans sector. Industries making up this sector include fisheries and aquaculture, ocean technology products and services, shipbuilding, and marine transportation.
The Halifax region is home to seven universities and three community colleges that attract over 40,000 students annually and has the highest concentration of ocean-related PhDs in the world.
The National Research Council Institute for Marine Biosciences recently opened to explore the commercial potential of technologies in marine biosciences and life sciences.
The Centre for Ocean Ventures & Entrepreneurship (COVE) supports ocean technology commercialization by providing shared equipment and infrastructure access. COVE has close to 50 members and facilitates partnerships among industry players on ocean-related technology projects.
Some COVE-affiliated companies also will participate in the Ocean Supercluster’s initial project OceanVision, a three-year $20-million project focused on the development of new marine technologies and products for high-resolution imaging and mapping of the ocean’s seafloor.