Headquarters
Université Laval, Quebec, Québec/University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario

Scientific Directors

Philippe Archambault


Jackie Dawson

Executive Director

Christine Barnard

Board chair

Donna Kirkwood

Working towards a sustainable and prosperous North

The opportunity

The circumpolar North is in the midst of an era of transformation. For Canada, climate change, industrialization and modernization are changing the North, affecting people, the natural environment, resources and ecosystems in new and challenging ways. In the next few years, governments will face policy decisions in the Arctic. These decisions will have an immense impact on the lives and livelihoods of northern communities, the health and survival of plants and animals, the development and use of natural resources, and the protection of Canada’s land and water. To make evidence-informed decisions, Canada needs robust research, strong connections with northern knowledge-holders, and effective collaboration between communities, researchers, governments and industry.

How ArcticNet is seizing the opportunity

ArcticNet represents Canada’s largest commitment to date to explore the social, economic and environmental impacts of climate change and modernization on the Canadian North. Since 2004, ArcticNet has established the research, connections and experience to understand the challenges the North faces. Through a network of partnerships, ArcticNet is transforming how research is conducted in the North with inclusive research conducted with and by northerners. With its refreshed science program, the Network offers services and initiatives that include:

• Enabling northern communities to lead their own research through the new ground-breaking NORTH BY NORTH Program;
• Combining multi-disciplinary scientific knowledge and local expertise to generate assessments and recommend how to adapt to change through the Integrated Regional Impact Studies (IRIS) and its new portal for knowledge mobilization;
• Promoting Canadian Arctic science excellence around the world with the SATELLITE Program.

Among the results:

• Since 2004, ArcticNet has trained over 4,200 Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) including 1,936 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows (more than 61% women). ArcticNet is cultivating diverse skill sets, from innovative field equipment to safety in remote areas to Indigenous awareness and ethical conduct training, and nurturing professional development for the 799+ HQP currently training with the Network (58% are women and 25% are Indigenous).
• ArcticNet is funding over 200 researchers (44% women) on 78 projects led by senior academic researchers, early career scientists, and Inuit researchers at more than 50 universities, colleges and Inuit organizations Canada-wide. The network has completed over 200 projects and published more than 16,500 papers on Arctic and Northern issues.
• ArcticNet’s podcast, Arctic Minded, has produced 6 successful episodes that draw awareness to the individuals who contribute to our understanding of a changing Arctic by sharing the stories of the Arctic research community.
• ArcticNet is funding Inuit Qaujisarnirmut Pilirijjutit (IQP), a division of the North-by-North program. This program, led by the Inuit regional organizations across Inuit Nunangat, is the first Inuit-led, directed, and governed research funding program in the world. This program aligns with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s (ITK) National Inuit Strategy on Research (NISR) to advance Inuit self-determination and research co-development.
• As part of its ongoing engagement with decision-makers and leaders, ArcticNet research is informing government on Inuit health issues through the One Health approach by studying complex issues around Inuit well-being, including mental health and climate change, food and drinking water (in)security, contaminants, and wildlife disease.
• The Network is engaging 60 Indigenous partners in 48 communities in all provinces and territories. As part of the ongoing work with, by and for northern communities, a fifth Integrated Regional Impact Study (IRIS) covering western subarctic continental Canada and its northern First Nations and Métis communities is being written.
• ArcticNet’s 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) was held in the North for the first time in Iqaluit, Nunavut, from December 4 to 7, with over 450 attendees from across Canada and around the world. Of this year’s participants, 43% were Northerners, representing the highest Northern participation thus far. This resounding success sets a new standard for networking, scientific excellence, inclusion, diversity, representation, and accessibility.
• During the ASM2023, ArcticNet shared that the Network was a successful recipient of the Strategic Science Fund, a proposal co-developed with ITK and Polar Knowledge Canada, allowing for a new phase of ArcticNet to be funded till 2030.

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