How Nova Scotia is advancing ocean technology at home and around the world

There’s a famous saying you often hear repeated in Nova Scotia, “A rising tide lifts all boats.”

As an Export Development Executive with Invest Nova Scotia, I see firsthand how this shared mindset of collaborative working and problem-solving helps our ocean tech companies thrive, locally and globally. Whether it’s a company doing business here at home or elsewhere in the world, a shared commitment to technology, research, and talent benefits all.

This is why events like OCEANS 2024 are such great opportunities. Bringing this ecosystem together for four days to showcase, network and learn from each other confirms the very reasons Nova Scotia is advancing ocean tech here and around the world.

It’s also why Nova Scotia has the highest number of ocean tech companies in Canada, employing more than 35,000 and excelling in areas like underwater acoustics, sensors, and robotics.

It’s why we have a high concentration of ocean sector researchers, with one-third of all private business R&D dedicated to this field. Key institutions like the Bedford Institute of Oceanography and the Ocean Frontier Institute contribute to this critical mass of research activity. The Bedford Institute is Canada’s largest centre for ocean research with more than 600 researchers, engineers, and technicians.

It’s how accelerators and hubs like the Centre for Ocean Ventures & Entrepreneurship (COVE) and The PIER create a collaborative environment that fuels innovation and commercialization. At COVE, companies enjoy deep-water access and testing facilities that are second to none.

It’s why companies like Kraken, Sensor Technology, Ocean Sonics, metOcean, LeeWay Marine, and GeoSpectrum are not just leading in their fields—they are setting the standard for what’s possible in ocean technology.

Simply put, a spirit of collaboration, educated professionals, a thriving economy and an ideal location on Canada’s East Coast has made Nova Scotia a place that offers global reach and modern infrastructure to support ocean tech and innovation.

We have the talent, the infrastructure, and the proximity to global markets to do business on an international scale. And we’re doing it in a beautiful place, surrounded by coastline, with an unwavering commitment to the pursuit of innovation and technology.

Whether you’re a company looking to expand, a researcher eager to collaborate, or an investor seeking the next big opportunity, Nova Scotia’s ocean tech sector is a true ecosystem of collaboration and innovation – across the province and around the world.

A rising tide lifts all boats, indeed.