Grant: Technology Access Centre

SEATAC, a specialized department of Nova Scotia Community College, in its Next Chapter (2025-2030) will expand and concentrate its research collaborations, technical services, and training. SEATAC targets subsectors in rapidly growing ocean technology. In SEATAC’s recent survey of a sample 50 Nova Scotia ocean tech companies, total sales are estimated at $400 million. SEATAC revenues (2019 – 2024 to date) from private, public, and not for profit sectors have totaled close to $2 million. SEATAC’s new delivery plan prioritizes R&D services that move client projects beyond proof of concept to validation and pre-commercialization derisking. The centre will augment its client base among ocean-related tech companies; tech companies looking to develop applications for the oceans sector; and fisheries, aquaculture, and marine transportation technology users. SEATAC will capitalize on 1) its access to a six-vessel fleet, including its acquisition of a 9-metre, purpose-built research vessel to develop and test prototypes, devices, software, and hardware in situ and in real time for clients; 2) NSCC’s exceptional ocean-related infrastructure in Atlantic Canada, valued at $20 million, in clean-marine propulsion; wave-tank testing; airborne remote sensing; underwater autonomous vehicles; fixed-wing and multicopter drones; deepwater cameras; marine navigation and engineering simulators; and 3D metal printing and full prototyping facility; 3) collaborations with college Research Scientists; and 4) the new NSCC Sydney Waterfront campus to provide largely untapped services to the local fisheries sector. SEATAC will also leverage its own engineering and business development expertise and that of college Applied Research to support start-ups; its relationship with Indigenous businesses; and its connections across the oceans ecosystem regionally and nationally to continue to build its client portfolio. Students from the College’s programs in ocean, engineering, and marine engineering technology; marine geomatics; and business intelligence/analytics, will gain valuable work-integrated learning experience (WIL), recruited and advanced through tangible equity, diversity, and inclusion practices. Each year 10 students will be recruited for a total of approximately 8,800 student hours. SEATAC will contribute to the health of the growing regional oceans economy, to robust livelihoods for communities who rely on the water, and to sustainable practices for ocean habitats and species.