Summary

An opportunity for researchers based in the United Kingdom to apply for funding to support practical research and engagement with the work of the Arctic Council’s Working Groups, and the priorities and initiatives of the Norwegian Chairship 2023-25. Please note that the call for this scheme is now closed.

Background

The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation in the Arctic. As the Arctic Council Chair, Norway is actively pursuing an ambitious programme for their Chairship (2023-25). Arctic Council details: https://arctic-council.org/

The United Kingdom has been an Observer to the Arctic Council since 1998. Researchers based in the UK have contributed extensively to the work of the six Working Groups and associated Expert Groups and Taskforces over many years, sharing expertise, working in partnership, collaborating on new data sources and conducting important analysis.

In recognition of the importance of the work of the Arctic Council, and the potential for increased engagement by researchers based in the United Kingdom, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has funded a new scheme in 2024-25. This will support researchers in practical engagement with the re-established work programmes of the six Arctic Council Working Groups and the priorities and initiatives of the Norwegian Chairship of the Arctic Council.

The aims of the scheme are to:

  • support the active and effective resumption of work of projects across the six Arctic Council Working Groups and beyond;
  • provide valuable opportunities for UK-based researchers to share and expand their expertise, for mutual benefit; and
  • support the UK’s role as a committed and active Observer to the Arctic Council addressing priorities of joint benefit.

Full call details are available here (PDF).

Bursaries

Helen Findlay, Plymouth Marine Laboratory: Arctic Council Engagement – enhancing understanding of climate impacts (ACE Impacts)

Ishfaq Malik, Leeds University: ARCWISE: Arctic Resilience, Climate Adaptation, and Indigenous Wisdom for Sustainable Ecosystems

Lauren McWhinnie, Heriot-Watt University: Mapping whale watching activities in Arctic Waters

Helen Wheeler, Anglia Ruskin University: Societal impacts of borealisation of the Arctic: Understanding interlinkages between ecological and social impacts

Iwan Jones, Queen Mary University of London: Establishing the extent of the pink salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, invasion of the Arctic.

Clare Webster, St Andrews University: The impacts of climate-driven changes in the zooplankton community on bowhead whales in Disko Bay, Greenland

Philippe Blondel, Bath University: Shipping and Human Impacts for Marine Arctic Sustainability (SHIMASU)

Karen Cameron, University of Glasgow: Glacial Ecology through the 21st Century (GECO-21)

Liam Kelleher, Birmingham University: POLARSENSE: Polar Online Airborne Nano and Microplastic Sensing and Environmental Monitoring

Cath Waller, Hull University: Threats and Risks to Arctic Habitats- Watching Plastic Litter (TRAWL)

Jeremy Wilkinson, British Antarctic Survey: Supporting the SAON ROADS process: Advancing the Sea Ice Shared Arctic Variable