UKRI has entered into a new Arctic science agreement alongside Canadian funding and research agencies (Polar Knowledge Canada; National Research Council; Fonds de Recherche, Québec; Parks Canada) and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.
. This new agreement is a very welcome and important first step in the development of a new funded international research programme, bringing together researchers from the UK, Canada and Inuit Nunangat.
The agreement and expected programme will focus on understanding the environmental, social & cultural, economic and physical infrastructure/engineering impacts of the changing climate in the Canadian Arctic. Creating research teams with full representation and engagement, and co-developing research proposals with Inuit researchers, will all be critical elements of the expected new programme.
Further information will be shared once the programme details are finalised. Information about networking and co-development opportunities will also be released. In the meantime, interested researchers whose work links to NERC, ESRC, AHRC and EPSRC are strongly encouraged to familiarise themselves with the National Inuit Strategy on Research and related documents; and to make potential researcher partners in the UK, Canada and Inuit Nunangat aware of this agreement and the expected development of a new programme. We look forward to sharing further information as soon as possible.