NordForsk has together with the national research funders in the Nordics financed four large Nordic Centres of Excellence on Arctic research. This report summarises the results from the centres. The number of publications, disseminations and other outcomes are impressive. The report also demonstrates that collaborations across the Nordics create great Nordic added value.
The Nordic Council of Ministers 2030 vision states that The Nordic Region will become the most sustainable and integrated region in the world in 2030. All Nordic countries are Arctic nations, and the 2030 vision cannot be met without a strong focus on sustainable development in the High North. Sustainable development requires production of new knowledge, and much of this new knowledge must come from research.
The effects of climate change are more visible than before the four Arctic centres started in 2016. Moreover, the geopolitical situation in the region has changed dramatically, and the international interest for presence, and extraction of resources, has increased significantly.
Research based on Nordic values addressing Nordic needs related to climate change, oceans, energy production, security, tourism, land and resource management, will help us secure a more sustainable future of the Arctic. However, sustainability will not be achieved without addressing the needs of the people living in the region, and we have a special obligation to involve and include the indigenous groups in the research process.
Pathways to Action in the Arctic
Responsible Development of the Arctic: Opportunities and Challenges - Pathways to Action was a collaborative effort between the Research Council of Norway, the Academy of Finland, the Swedish Research Council, the Icelandic Centre for Research, the Danish Ministry for Higher Education and Science, and NordForsk.
The Programme was initiated at a seminar during the last meeting of the International Polar Year in 2012 in Montreal, Canada. Participants were research funding organisations from the Nordic countries and Canada, and the US. After a preparatory phase, the NordForsk Board decided in 2013 to start a joint Nordic initiative. As a result, four Nordic Centres of Excellence (NCoEs) were funded by 30 MNOK each under the Programme in 2016.
The Programme has produced integrative new knowledge of past and current change and projections for future change that informs the societal discourse on possible or desirable directions of change in the Arctic.
The initiative has developed and strengthened pathways to action in the Arctic by enhancing the knowledge base for political decision-making, education, and industrial and human development. The four Nordic Centres of Excellence have invited NGOs, local communities, public sector officials, educators and industrial actors to actively create new integrative knowledge for tangible actions and the common good.
The initiative has integrated research with monitoring and data collection on climate and the environment, social and economic statistics, education, and public health. In addition, it has supported the joint use of existing archives, scientific collections and other research infrastructures.
The impact report shows that the Nordic Centres of Excellence have a strong position in the Arctic research environments, well-developed networks with key players in the Arctic civil society and clear messages to political decisionmakers to protect Arctic environments and inhabitants.