Thematic Networks

Thematic Networks are at the forefront of UArctic's activities, focusing on collaboration in key areas among our partners and producing high quality contributions to scientific research, public outreach, and educational development.

The Thematic Networks foster issues-based cooperation within networks that are focused but flexible enough to respond quickly to topical Arctic issues. They form a natural framework for development of UArctic education and research providing an optimal structure for increasing the knowledge generation and sharing across the North.

How Thematic Networks Work

Goals

• Strengthen northern institutions by sharing resources, facilities, and expertise through thematically focused networks of traditional and/or discipline-based knowledge experts.
• Enhance the roles of northern higher education institutions’ as creators, holders, and communicators of knowledge about northern issues and regions.
• Implement the program so that it reflects UArctic’s principles and values, including the key role of indigenous peoples for the development of the north.

Content

• UArctic Thematic Networks are independent and thematically focused networks of experts in specific areas of northern relevance.
• A Thematic Network should focus its activities on one or several of the following: research cooperation, knowledge sharing, joint education in a specific field.
• Thematic Networks operate independently with responsibility to report and publish news about their activities and received funding, as well as keeping the formal linkages to UArctic.
• Thematic Networks form their own individual operation, organisation and membership guidelines, unique to each Thematic Network.
• Thematic Networks shall serve as a gateway to expertise for other UArctic programs as needed.
• A Thematic Network is guided by UArctic values, goals, governance documents, and reporting procedures and it must adhere to these in all its operations.
• A Thematic Network shall use UArctic identity in its work, and can use the UArctic identity when submitting funding proposals, for publicity etc., following normal UArctic procedures.

Membership

• The lead and host of the Network has to be from UArctic member institutions.
• Thematic Networks consist of individual experts from at least three UArctic member institutions, including the lead.
• A Thematic Network shall when possible have membership from all three major northern regions (North America, northern Europe, and Russia).
• A Thematic Network may choose to also involve members from non-UArctic member institutions, but representatives from UArctic member institutions shall have majority in any internal decision-making structure.

Thematic networks activitIes 2022

https://www.uarctic.org/media/42nlsggm/uarctic-thematic-networks-activities-2022.pdf