Today’s challenges, like the accelerating impact of marine plastics, are pushing researchers, industry, and communities to move beyond isolated projects toward more coordinated, long-term collaboration. Increasingly, progress depends not only on innovation, but on how effectively people and organizations work together.

Across Canada, Communities of Practice (CoPs) are helping make that shift possible. These networks bring together expertise from Indigenous communities and organizations, academia, industry, government, and not-for-profits, creating structured spaces for shared learning, resource coordination, and collective action. Instead of starting from scratch with every new initiative, ocean experts are building continuity through ongoing collaboration.

With support from MEOPAR, these CoPs are strengthening their ability to collaborate across regions and disciplines while maintaining their own leadership and direction. To explore how this model is taking shape, we spoke with the CoP lead from the Canadian Ocean Mapping Research and Education Network (COMREN) and the coordinator for the Canadian Marine Plastic Action and Collaboration (CAMPAC) CoP.

Two days into their networking activity, Mother Nature stepped in as the city began to prepare for a massive storm. With only two days left together and DFO’s Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre offices scheduled to be closed because of the impending blizzard, Cramm and de Moura Neves packed up computers and screens and prepared for a day of working from home.

COMREN: Moving from foundation to national hub

While some MEOPAR-funded CoPs are just beginning their journey, the Canadian Ocean Mapping Research and Education Network (COMREN) offers a masterclass in longevity and evolution. Though it has operated as a MEOPAR-supported CoP since 2021, the group’s roots run much deeper. “I just realized that COMREN, as a group of people who knew we wanted to work together to do something in Canada, has existed now for 10 years,” reflected Dr. Ian Church, Associate Professor in the Department of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering at the University of New Brunswick, and lead for COMREN. 

For years, the group operated informally, driven by the knowledge that they could achieve more together than as individual researchers, but they lacked a mechanism to support cross-institutional work between universities, colleges, non-profits, and government organizations. The CoP model provided that missing structure, allowing COMREN to transition from a loose collection of peers into an internationally recognized community. 

When we last spoke to Dr. Ian Church almost a year ago, COMREN was building a foundation for marine mapping in Canada. Since then, the community has evolved into an active ecosystem of shared learning and high-tech resource coordination. This commitment to the next generation is exemplified by community initiatives like the [2026 student mapping challenge], and funding student travel to major conferences, ensuring that “the people who want to do the hiring and the people who want to be hired are right there at the same time in the same event,” noted Church. To support this research and training, COMREN is simultaneously lowering barriers through a “resource-sharing” model that aims to coordinate a database for shared high-cost equipment. These durable pathways have set the stage for newer MEOPAR-funded CoPs like CAMPAC to scale their own regional efforts into national movements.

Dr. Ian Church, Associate Professor in the Department of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering at the University of New Brunswick, and lead for COMREN

CAMPAC: Scaling action through coastal collaboration

While COMREN provides a blueprint for longevity, the newly established Canadian Marine Plastic Action and Collaboration (CAMPAC) CoP represents the power of scaling regional success to a national level. Coordinated by Kelly Mackarous, coastal marine program manager with Coastal Action, CAMPAC was established to address a critical gap in the marine plastics research landscape: the need for a unified approach that connects local data with national policy.

The community grew from the foundations of the Atlantic Canada Microplastics Working Group established in 2019. Transitioning to a national CoP allows the group to bridge gaps that were previously missing, such as connecting researchers investigating microplastics in the Arctic with coastal community groups and industry partners across the country. The goal of the community of practice is to “strengthen national collaboration through knowledge sharing and coordinate action amongst researchers, practitioners, industry partners, policy makers and communities,” Kelly Mackarous explained.

When looking toward the end of the current three-year funding cycle, Kelly Mackarous defined the ultimate “big win” for the network as a shift from research to national influence. Regarding this long-term goal, she noted:

“Looking three years down the line, [CAMPAC aims to be] more nationally recognized as an important influence to potential policy and potential change. The ultimate goal would be for the community of practice itself to become a fantastic knowledge hub of resources that can be utilized in future policy making or action“.

The Power of the Network: Why Join?

For many ocean professionals and volunteers, the idea of joining “another network” can feel like a drain on an already packed schedule. However, both Dr. Ian Church and Kelly Mackarous emphasized that the return on investment is immediate, providing a critical boost to a participant’s reach and efficiency.

By providing a platform for collaboration, CoPs ensure that no participant has to face technical or systemic limitations in isolation. The CoP model provides key infrastructure such as regular communication, dedicated coordinators, and shared data protocols, that allows science to move faster and reach further. It transforms individual expertise into a powerful, collective engine for discovery. Ultimately, this systemic collaboration allows ocean experts to progress further than they ever could alone. As Kelly Mackarous reflected, “until you collaboratively work together you don’t move as much forward as you potentially could”.

Looking ahead

As MEOPAR supports this new cohort of 13 CoPs, the goal is clear: to foster a collaborative ecosystem that is as interconnected as the oceans themselves. Whether it is mapping the seafloor or removing plastics from our waters, the CoPs are proving that we are more efficient and impactful when we work together.

MEOPAR invites researchers and community members across all disciplines to engage with existing CoPs. Discover how shared resources and collaborative science can amplify your impact. To find more information about the CoPs MEOPAR is funding from 2025-2028, visit our website.

To learn more about COMREN, visit oceanmapping.ca. To get involved with CAMPAC, reach out at campac@coastalaction.org or visit their webpage.