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Oceans Advance Newsletter – April 27, 2026
OCEANS ADVANCE INC.
NOTICE of ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Friday, June 5, 2026
Nominations are now open for four vacant positions on the board of Oceans Advance Inc. Interested candidates must meet the following requirements:
- Each nominee must be a current member of Oceans Advance.
- Each nomination must have two references via email (a mover and a seconder) and both the mover & seconder must be members of Oceans Advance.
- Each nominee must submit an email to Oceans Advance confirming acceptance; and
- Each nominee must submit a short bio and headshot to Oceans Advance to have your name included on the ballot no later than April 25, 2026.
Please forward your nominations to Shelly Petten at [email protected]. If you have any questions about being a board member of Oceans Advance, feel free to reach out to her at the same email.
Nominations and supporting emails are required by 4:00 pm on Friday, May 8, 2026. A list of candidates will be distributed to the voting membership by Thursday, May 14, 2026 through Election Buddy.
Deadline to vote is Friday, May 29, 2026, at 12:00 noon.
Innovation Waves: Opportunity on the Horizon
Featuring Paul Preston, Executive Advisory Consultant
Newfoundland and Labrador’s strength has always been its ability to innovate in some of the world’s harshest environments.
As Paul Preston notes, that combination of entrepreneurial spirit and hard-earned ingenuity is now a powerful competitive advantage.
In his Innovation Waves interview, Paul highlights that the province already has the key ingredients for success – particularly in ocean technology. What’s changing is the scale and urgency of the opportunity.
With increased federal defence spending and a growing focus on security and sovereignty, demand is accelerating for dual-use technologies that serve both commercial and defence markets. This aligns directly with Newfoundland and Labrador’s strengths, built on decades of offshore and marine expertise.
The opportunity now is to capture new markets, scale globally, and position the province as a leader in next-generation ocean innovation.
As Paul emphasizes, the foundation is already here – positioning Newfoundland and Labrador at the forefront of ocean innovation.
Watch the preview here.
Watch the full interview as part of the Innovation Waves series on our YouTube page.
Atlantic Canada Is Building Its Next Aquaculture Companies — From the Ground Up
Atlantic Canada is doubling down on aquaculture innovation with the launch of a new founder-focused studio designed to help companies scale faster, attract investment, and commercialize technologies from the region.
Launching this July in St. John’s, the nine-month program will support up to ten high-potential companies across aquaculture, aquatech, and marine biotech.
If you’re building — or thinking about building — in this space, this is worth a closer look.
Congratulations to Oceans Advance member, Adaptive Marine Solutions Inc.
Congratulations to Oceans Advance member company, Adaptive Marine Solutions Inc. on their role in a major National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) project supporting the Canadian Coast Guard. Adaptive Marine Solutions is part of the Kongsberg Vanguard LP joint venture that was recently awarded a $9.6 million design contract for the Canadian Coast Guard’s new mid-shore multi-mission (MSMM) vessels—a critical investment in renewing Canada’s small-vessel fleet for operations in coastal, inland, and shallow-water environments.
As an Ottawa‑based company with specialized maritime design and engineering expertise, Adaptive Marine Solutions, specializing in maritime design and engineering expertise, brings significant domestic capability to this nationally important program. Their participation ensures that high-value design work, skilled employment, and critical technical knowledge remain in Canada, directly supporting the goals of the Canadian Content Policy and strengthening a resilient, sovereign shipbuilding ecosystem. The MSMM vessels will play a vital role in science, search and rescue, environmental response, navigation, icebreaking, and maritime security, and AdaptiveMarine Solutions’ contribution helps ensure these ships are designed to meet Canada’s diverse and demanding operating conditions.
Read the full press release to learn more about the contract award and Adaptive Marine Solutions’ role in advancing Canada’s marine capabilities.
Congratulations to Oceans Advance member, Kraken Robotics
Congratulations to Kraken Robotics on securing approximately $28 million in new orders for its SeaPower™ subsea batteries and Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) systems.
The contracts span five clients — including new customers — and further expand Kraken’s presence across defence and commercial uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) platforms.
With their technologies now integrated into more than 30 UUV platforms globally, this milestone reflects continued momentum for Canadian ocean technology on the international stage.
Marine Renewables Canada (MRC) is hosting the Marine Renewables Spring Summit on May 12, 2026,in Halifax, Nova Scotia
The Spring Summit will bring together industry, suppliers, Indigenous partners, training institutions, and economic development leaders to focus on strengthening the marine renewables supply chain.
As tidal and offshore wind activity accelerates in Atlantic Canada, the event will provide practical guidance, procurement insights, and actionable advice to help businesses and communities prepare for, participate in, and benefit from a growing marine renewables market.
Beyond project readiness, the summit will highlight the importance of building durable partnerships that ensure local and Indigenous participation in the sector’s growth.
Aquaculture UK & Norway Business Development Mission
Oceans Advance, in partnership with ACOA and the Atlantic Provinces, invites ocean technology companies to join a dual-market trade mission featuring business development meetings in Stavanger, Norway (June 10–12) followed by a shared Canada Pavilion presence at Aquaculture UK 2026 in Glasgow (June 16–17), including a targeted Canada networking reception to connect delegates with international buyers.
MASS 2026 Registration is OPEN
ACADA’s Maritime & Arctic Security & Safety Conference (MASS) continues to be the leading forum for tackling the complex, multi‑domain defence and security challenges shaping northern and maritime regions.
ACADA is pleased to announce Saab Canada, Inc. as Presenting Sponsor for MASS 2026.
Looking to elevate your organization’s visibility? MASS 2026 offers high‑impact sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities. Connect with ACADA at [email protected] to learn more.
SMM Hamburg 2026 – Canada Technology Pavilion
OTCNS, in partnership with ACOA, Atlantic partners, and ABCMI, invites export-ready Canadian ocean technology companies to join a trade mission to SMM Hamburg 2026, the world’s leading maritime trade fair.
Participants will showcase within the Canada Technology Pavilion (Hall B6), take part in a Maritime Defence Roundtable, and attend a Canada Networking Reception, all designed to connect Canadian innovation with global buyers and partners. Space is limited and subject to screening.
MATE ROV Competition Sponsorship Opportunities
The Marine Institute will host both the 2026 Newfoundland and Labrador MATE ROV Competition (May 7–9) and the MATE ROV World Championships (June 25–27) in St. John’s — putting the next generation of ocean innovators on display.
More than 500 students from across the province will compete locally, with top teams advancing to a global stage of 1,000+ participants from 20+ countries.
At its core, MATE connects students to real-world marine challenges — building the skills and talent pipeline the ocean sector depends on.
Sponsorship opportunities are now open, with a goal of raising $100,000 to support both events.
If your sponsorship amount meets the MATE ROV World Championships thresholds you will avail of those benefits as well. The regional competition sponsorship banner will also be displayed in the Marine Institute Flume Tank for the duration of the World Championships. There are also opportunities to sponsor individual events at the World Championships. Please reach out for further detail.
The 2025 World Championship Highlight Video is a great representation of the impact of your sponsorship.
Interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities? Reach out to Joe Singleton, Head of the School of Ocean Technology, at [email protected]
Mitacs: From Academia to Field
Mitacs joins COIC to chat about all things related to their programming.
Dipesh and Heidi will provide an overview of Mitacs programs that help businesses access top-tier research talent, secure funding, and accelerate innovation through industry-academic collaboration.
Attendees will learn how to advance R&D projects, reduce risk, and build long-term innovation capacity, along with a clear understanding of program structures, eligibility, and how to get started.
Have news you would like shared in the Oceans Advance Newsletter?
If you have upcoming events, exciting achievements, or news you’d like featured in the next Oceans Advance newsletter, let us know.
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