Ocean Networks Canada receives major award from CFI's new O&M support program

Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) has received $32.8 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to cover part of its operations and maintenance (O&M) requirements for the next five years. It's the first award under the CFI's new $185-million Major Science Initiatives (MSI) fund. CFI's board of directors approved ONC's application in March but it wasn't announced publicly until October 3rd.

Based at the Univ of Victoria, ONC is the operator of the VENUS coastal network and the NEPTUNE Canada regional network which together comprise the subsea ONC Observatory national research platform, which employs some of the world's most innovative engineering, data communication and sensor technologies. The observatory gathers continuous data and images from deep in the ocean and streams the live data around the world.

The funding marks the second time CFI has funded ONC, following a two-year, $24-million award that kept the organization afloat while the federal government decided how it would support the O&M of big science facilities (R$, March 19/10).

"This is a new approach (for O&M of CFI-funded facilities) and I'm glad the CFI established this new mechanism. I'm thrilled to be part of it," says Dr Kate Moran, who took over as ONC's president and CEO in September/11, days before the MSI proposal was submitted.

The CFI award is complemented by $8.9 million from the Government of British Columbia but that funding covers only two years. Uncertainty over further provincial funding and the moratorium placed on the Major Resources Support program at the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council has prompted ONC to pursue other funding avenues.

"Matching funds should be more diversified and we're exploring this," says Moran, adding that ONC is making considerable progress.

In recent months, it has received commitments from several organizations, including the Eric Schmid Family Foundation (Schmid is executive chairman and former CEO of Google), Natural Resources Canada, the Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations and the W M Keck Foundation.

ONC had to compete for MSI funding, which offers 40% of total O&M costs for facilities that have previously received a minimum of $25 million from CFI.

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