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The (OFI), an international research partnership led by Dal, Memorial University, and UPEI, has launched its next phase of ocean research, with a plan to invest approximately $16 million in projects that will examine climate change and how changes to the North Atlantic impact聽coastal communities.聽

The funds will be distributed through a two-phased, peer-reviewed application process. OFI seeks collaborative proposals from consortia representing academic, government, business, Indigenous and international researchers, Indigenous leaders and coastal community members.聽To qualify, each project must be led by a principal investigator who is a faculty or staff member, or adjunct faculty, at one of OFI鈥檚 lead partner universities. 聽

鈥淥FI is all about transformative research, and such research, when tackled in a collaborative fashion has the ability to resolve many of the challenges facing our one, common ocean,鈥� says Anya Waite, OFI鈥檚 scientific director and AVP of research (Ocean) at Dal. 鈥淲e are also at a unique period in Atlantic Canada when ocean industries are consolidating their bid for international excellence (for example, through the ). The alignment of these initiatives will be ground-breaking.鈥�

OFI was established in September 2016 thanks to an investment of $227 million from the Government of Canada and various private and public-sector organizations. The funding is primarily used to support ocean research projects that are examining innovative approaches to ensure the North Atlantic is sustainably managed. OFI鈥檚 currently has underway; each are expected to be completed in 2022. 聽

Designed through consultation

Through a four-month consultation process, OFI鈥檚 management team sought input on its second phase of research, scheduled to run from late 2019 to 2023. Compared to Phase 1, OFI鈥檚 next phase will support fewer projects but will allow for more resources per project. OFI expects to fund two to five research projects which would each receive about $1 million per year in funding to investigate the following topics:

The North Atlantic as a Climate Ocean 鈥� This theme centres on understanding the role of ocean dynamics and climate in the聽North Atlantic and Canadian Arctic gateways. Through research, OFI seeks an improved understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological processes governing climate, productivity, and ecosystem structure.

Coastal Communities and the Ocean 鈥� Canada鈥檚 coastal communities face significant challenges and opportunities in their interactions with the ocean. These include both climate and human-induced ecosystem alteration, shifts in fishery abundance and distribution, sea level rise, as well as rapidly-evolving social, institutional, and economic conditions. Research projects will address how changing ocean dynamics impact coastal communities, and how rapidly-evolving social and economic conditions impact the marine environment.

鈥淏y working together, we will generate research results that intersect the economy, environment and social well being. And we will action our research, putting it to work to ensure those who depend on the ocean have the tools they require to respond to the change that鈥檚 occurring,鈥� said Dr. Waite.

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