[1] OFI is based at Dalhousie University in the Ocean Sciences Building in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

[4] In announcing the creation of OFI, Dalhousie University noted that it was set to become “one of the world’s most significant international ocean science collaborations.”[5] The initial funding for the organization included a $93.7 million commitment from the Canadian government through the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF).

The Institute administers the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, The Safe and Sustainable Development of the Ocean Frontier;[6] Ocean School;[7] and the North Atlantic Carbon Observatory (NACO); and hosts the Canadian project office of the Integrated Marine Biosphere Research (IMBeR) program.

In 2018 OFI and Dalhousie University also invested over 2 million dollars for the creation of DeepSense,[11] a partnership between industry, academia and government focused on using ocean related data and artificial intelligence to better support commercial enterprises.

OFI and United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP) Beginning with COP26, OFI has been an active participant in the UN COP meetings, bringing attention to the role the ocean plays in sustainable development efforts and advocating for the importance of integrated ocean carbon observations.