2018-2019 Fulbright Arctic Initiative (Round 2)

 

The Fulbright Arctic Initiative brings together a network of scholars, professionals and applied researchers from the United States, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden for a series of three seminar meetings and a Fulbright exchange experience.

Program Details

At its core, the Fulbright Arctic Initiative creates a network to stimulate international scientific collaboration on Arctic issues while increasing mutual understanding between people of the United States and the people of other countries.  Using a collaborative model to translate theory into practice, program participants address public-policy research questions relevant to Arctic nations’ shared challenges and opportunities.

Outstanding scholars from the U.S. and abroad were selected to participate in the program as Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholars through an open, merit-based competition. Co-Lead Scholars provide intellectual leadership throughout the Program, in addition to mentoring program participants and facilitating discussion and collaboration among the Arctic Initiative Scholars.

Selected scholars participate in an individual Fulbright exchange of a minimum of six weeks and a maximum of three months, as well as in-person seminars and ongoing virtual communication, all supporting the scholars’ required collaborative research projects. Scholars were selected on the basis of an individual research project linked to an exchange visit and potential to collaborate in a group research project in one of two thematic areas described below.

  • The Fulbright Arctic Initiative provides a platform for scholars from across the Arctic region to engage in collaborative thinking, analysis, problem-solving and multi-disciplinary research across two core thematic areas:
    • Resilient Communities: The Arctic is facing profound social, economic, and environmental change and communities are increasingly confronted with critical policy challenges related to issues of health and wellness, energy resource management, environmental protection, sustainability of the Arctic Ocean, infrastructure, indigenous rights, education, and regional governance.  Further research is needed on ways to build social resilience in communities to adapt to changes across the Arctic.  This research will focus on and ideally involve Arctic communities themselves and consider the application of indigenous knowledge to help inform policy at local to regional scales, as well as multi-disciplinary research to bring differing or complementary viewpoints.
    • Sustainable Economies: The rapid changes in the Arctic Ocean system resulting from sea ice decline, changes in water conditions, and increasing shipping and energy production have significance for Arctic nations, global markets, and coastal communities.  The economic impacts of environmental changes and globalization in the Arctic, together with the region’s expanding connections to the global economy, require research to address how commercial opportunities can be supported and balanced with the need for sustained subsistence livelihoods in Arctic communities.
  • Arctic Initiative Scholars work in multidisciplinary and multinational research teams in the program thematic areas described above.
  • The Fulbright Arctic Initiative supports research that will inform policy and provide knowledge supporting a more sustainable Arctic future.
  • At the beginning of the program, an initial group meeting and program orientation meeting will be held in Canada. This will provide the Co-Lead Scholars and research teams the opportunity to launch the collaboration and establish guidelines and goals.
  • Under the guidance of the Lead Scholars, the research teams will collaborate virtually utilizing an online platform throughout the Program period. The full group will gather to share progress and initial outcomes at a mid-term meeting that will be hosted by another Arctic country.
  • During the program period, Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholars will participate in an individual research exchange visit lasting a minimum of six weeks up to a maximum of three months.  Non-U.S. scholars exchange visits will be at institutions within the United States and U.S. Scholars will conduct exchange visits at institutions within Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia or Sweden.
  • At the end of the program, Arctic Initiative Scholars will convene for the third and final meeting to share the results of their collaborative work and report on the accomplishment of program objectives and the national and regional implications of their findings. Scholars will disseminate policy-relevant recommendations, describe the concrete steps they have taken in implementing their projects and models at the local, national and/or regional level, and share the progress they have made and challenges they have faced in moving their recommendations from theory to practice.
Timeline

July 2017 |

Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholar Competition Opens

October 16, 2017 |

Visiting Scholar Application Deadline

October 30, 2017 (11:59 pm EDT) |

U.S. Scholar Application Deadline

February 2018 |

Finalists notified of selection decisions

May 2018 |

Opening Group Meeting (Canada)

February 2019 |

Mid-year Group Meeting (Finland)

October 2019 |

Final Group Meeting (Washington, DC)
2018-2019 Highlights
The Fulbright Arctic Initiative creates a network to stimulate international scientific collaboration on Arctic issues while increasing mutual understanding between people of the United States and the people of other countries. Using a collaborative model to translate theory into practice, program participants address public-policy research questions relevant to Arctic nations’ shared challenges.