The Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland will take part in a multidisciplinary research consortium The WAGE Circumpolar Partnership - Arctic Economy and Social Transitions which has been awarded a major grant of $2.5 million by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The project is led by Professor Gérard Duhaime from Université Laval and has a total funding of 3.5 million euros.
The ambitious research project focuses on economic and social inequalities in the Arctic and circumpolar North and responds to calls at the Arctic Council for states to address inequalities affecting Indigenous Peoples in particular and to initiate a fundamental transformation in the distribution of wealth produced in the Arctic.
From the Arctic Centre research professor Florian Stammler and university researcher Tanja Joona are involved in the project.
– The project differs from the usual research project model. Funding for own work packages must be applied for within the project by the end of the year. It has been tentatively agreed to hire two post-doc researchers at the University of Lapland, says Tanja Joona.
The partnership unites 22 partner institutions (including post-secondary education organizations, research centers, indigenous, governmental, and non-profit organizations) as well as 36 members (24 co-researchers; 12 collaborators), including representatives of the populations concerned by the issues raised by the project.
The project is divided into five parts, executive committee and steering group focusing on administration. The other three parts are the research, internship, and communication commissions, of which Stammler is a member of research commission that reviews all the applications for research work and Joona has been asked to chair the communication commission.
– I look forward to the implementation of this project, as it is a genuine circumpolar large-scale international project involving top researchers and a new kind of approach. A strong network and committed researchers will surely create a successful project, says Joona who will together with the project coordinator Marileine Baribeau prepare practical steps for the implementation of the project.
The project will run for 5 years, from 2021 to 2026.
More information:
Tanja Joona
University researcher
Arctic Centre, University of Lapland
+358 40 4844 283, tanja.joona(at)ulapland.fi
Florian Stammler
Research professor
Arctic Centre, University of Lapland
+358 400 138 807, florian.stammler(at)ulapland.fi