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Canadian National Committee for SCOR (CNC/SCOR)
The Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) fosters and facilitates international cooperation. It is a non-governmental body that reflects the multidisciplinary nature of ocean science and marine technology. Countries become members of SCOR through a national committee designated specially for that purpose. In Canada's case, the Canadian National Committee CNC-SCOR is the senior non-governmental oceanographic coordinating committee in the country. Canada has been a member since shortly after the founding of SCOR in 1957. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) jointly support Canada 's membership in SCOR through the terms of a 1993 agreement that is amended as necessary and renewed on a five-year basis.
Membership in SCOR benefits Canada in several ways. The advantages of membership in SCOR include the opportunity to comment on proposals for scientific activities as they develop, to assist in the formulation of international scientific priorities, and to encourage the involvement of Canada's scientists in these international efforts. The most tangible benefit is the increased exposure of Canada's scientists to international ocean science activities and the increased likelihood of their participation in working groups and other SCOR activities. SCOR officers and co-opted members of the SCOR Executive Committee are chosen from member nations. The alternating annual General Meeting and Executive Committee meetings of SCOR are held in member nations, upon invitation from national SCOR committees. The 2012 General Meeting was held in Halifax in October, in conjunction with the celebration of BIO's 50th anniversary, the first time SCOR has met in Canada since 1994. This meeting provided a forum for Canadian scientists to present local research to an international audience of high-profile scientists.
SCOR working groups provide another means of exposure for Canadian scientists to the worldwide oceanographic community. The SCOR budget for these activities includes travel funds for scientists selected to participate in them, so this should not be a burden on the nations that nominate working group members. It is rare for SCOR working groups to include members from nations that do not belong to SCOR. A full list of current working groups can be found on SCOR's working group page.
Canada receives background material for all SCOR General Meetings and Executive Committee meetings and has an opportunity to provide comments in person or in writing regarding working group proposals, the composition of SCOR working groups, the scientific steering committees of major oceanographic programs, and other SCOR initiatives.
Further information on CNC-SCOR's activities can be found at this link .