University of the Arctic

In June 2021, UNE and our four international partners — Agricultural University of Iceland, Borganes, Iceland; University of Highlands and Islands, Inverness, Scotland; Tyumen State University, Tyumen, Russia; and SustainaMetrix, Portland, Maine — founded a UArctic Thematic Network centered on Bioregional Planning for Resilient Rural Communities.

Our Commitment

This network of interdisciplinary researchers and practitioners from Maine, Iceland, Scotland, and Russia are committed to:

• Understanding the role that bioregional and systems strategies can play in supporting rural Northern communities;
• Activating those strategies in an intentional, place-based way to promote resilience in the face of climate change and other disruptive events.

Main Activities

• The network curates existing strategies and tool kits and supports their optimization and customization for specific bioregions.
• The network places particular focus on the engagement of the "people of the place," on intergenerational engagement, and on the engagement of community members on the margins.
• The network provides programming, such as webinars and symposia, to disseminate project-based work and its impacts on the UArctic community.

This network has five initial partners, but its potential for impact for both UArctic and its communities lies in the participation of partner organizations throughout the UArctic family. This is an open invitation for all UArctic member institutions to connect with us and explore how your work and expertise might help realize this network’s full potential. 

The University of the Arctic (UArctic) is a cooperative network of universities, colleges, research institutes, and other organizations concerned with education and research in and about the North. The University of New England has been a member since September of 2018.

UArctic builds and strengthens collective resources and collaborative infrastructure that enable member institutions to better serve their constituents and their regions. Through cooperation in education, research, and outreach, UArctic enhances human capacity in the North, promotes viable communities and sustainable economies, and forges global partnerships.

Benefits for UNE Students

UArctic’s member institutions are the leading experts in circumpolar education and offer many programs and courses on a wide variety of northern-related topics. The UArctic Study Catalogue features northern relevant courses and programs offered by institutions throughout the eight Arctic countries in the Arctic region and may be available and of interest to undergraduate and graduate students at UArctic member institutions.

Benefits for UNE Faculty and Researchers

UArctic’s Thematic Networks are the primary means of cooperation between member institutions and their faculty and researchers. UArctic’s Thematic Networks foster issues-based cooperation within networks that are focused but flexible enough to respond quickly to topical Arctic issues. They form a framework for development of UArctic education and research providing a structure for increasing the knowledge generation and sharing across the North.

Thematic Networks include:

• Social Work
• Northern Nursing Education
• Distance Education and E-Learning
• Geopolitics and Security
• Arctic Fisheries and Aquaculture
• Science Diplomacy
• Arctic Coastal Communities for Sustainability
• World Images of Indigenous Peoples of the North

UArctic also offers member institutions a range of research resources to facilitate research activities and collaboration. Resources include:

• Research Infrastructure Catalogue — a searchable online database of infrastructures and facilities located at and operated by the UArctic member institutions.
• UArctic Atlas — a visual and geographic overview of the Arctic region, including its physical environment and socio-cultural life.
• Research Analytics Reports — The Research Analytics Task Force has produced four publications, together with leading partners from the scientific publishing industry including Digital Science, ÜberResearch, Altmetric, and Elsevier’s Research Intelligence.
• Snowy OWL Talks — videos based on public presentations by inspirational leaders that serve as general information and supplementary course material for students studying in or about the North.