Ocean Exchange Announces Collaboration with MEOPAR to Advance Canadian Innovation

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA – New for 2026, an addition to the Ocean Exchange ecosystem, an event curated to target Canadian innovators using the established Ocean Exchange process and network. 

The Call for Canadian Innovators opens June 9 and is open through August 25. One CAD $100k award, funded by MEOPAR, will be given to the AI-based solution that advances our understanding of the ocean and helps minimize our impact on its ecosystems. The award focuses on the use of AI as a tool to understand and predict the ocean, Great Lakes, and St. Lawrence River and Gulf for better, responsible management and sustainable development of the ocean economy. The award winner will be invited to present at Ocean Exchange in the fall and access all the network help that we provide to our fall finalists. The first and second runners up will be invited guests to Ocean Exchange in Fort Lauderdale, FL October 25-27 to engage with the network of ocean tech investors and strategic partners. 

Millicent Pitts, Executive Director of Ocean Exchange, said, “This MEOPAR collaboration is a natural extension of a decade of increasingly close relationships between Ocean Exchange and the Canadian ocean innovation community, recognizing our mutual North American interests in maritime management Additionally, the focus on AI tools for ocean observations complements our activities in the US NOAA Ocean Enterprise Accelerator Program, also with a focus on the infrastructure to collect data and turning that data into information products.” 

Anne-Sophie Ste-Marie, Director of CIOOS at MEOPAR, said, “At MEOPAR, we are committed to making ocean data more accessible and usable to support decision-making and innovation. This exciting collaboration with Ocean Exchange builds on that mission by encouraging creative uses of AI to transform data into insights that benefit ocean health and communities.” 

Applications are available via the Ocean Exchange website and F6S platform. Finalists will be announced: September 1st. 

The Canadian winner will be chosen September 22nd, 2026 in Ottawa, Canada in conjunction with a meeting of the Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System on AI use in ocean observations. 

Contact for further details: Susan Zellers, Program Director, [email protected] 

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About Ocean Exchange: Ocean Exchange is a global ecosystem whose mission is to accelerate the adoption of innovative solutions for healthy oceans and the sustainable blue economy. A 501(c)(3), Ocean Exchange fulfills this mission through a rigorous, multi-level program that includes annual monetary awards, promoting registered Solutions Inspiring Action across multiple communication channels, and facilitating access to the global network ocean advocates comprising the Ocean Exchange ecosystem. Ocean Exchange is now part of the Marine Technology Society. 

About MEOPAR: The Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR) is a national network sponsored by the Strategic Science Fund that links top marine researchers and highly qualified personnel across Canada with partner organizations and communities. MEOPAR funds leading-edge research, overcomes barriers to collaborative research and helps to train the next generation of marine professionals.