Daybreak in Halifax, Nova Scotia. © Petrov Vadim - stock.adobe.com

NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) and Canada’s Ocean Supercluster (OSC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at fostering growth in the Ocean Enterprise. This agreement formalizes their collaboration and establishes a framework for enhancing connections, sharing knowledge, exchanging technological innovations, and focusing on workforce development. It also includes provisions for future expansion under mutually agreed terms.

The signing ceremony took place during the Oceans2024 conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Tuesday, September 24. The event featured a town hall session moderated by MTS CEO Chris Ostrander, with insights from NOS’s Carl Gouldman, Director of the U.S. IOOS Office, and Kendra MacDonald, CEO of OSC.

The Ocean Enterprise encompasses a diverse array of stakeholders—including public, private, non-profit, research, and academic sectors—working to provide the infrastructure and capacity needed for ocean observation, measurement, and forecasting. NOS, through programs like U.S. IOOS, contributes vital information and services related to our oceans and coasts.

This cross-border partnership with one of Canada’s leading private industry organizations in ocean technology marks a positive step forward for the Ocean Enterprise. International agreements like this MOU encourage collaboration between nations and public and private sectors, paving the way for new avenues in information exchange, workforce development, and technological advancements — ultimately delivering substantial societal benefits.