The University of Strathclyde is set to join the University of the Arctic – UArctic – a network of higher education and research institutions across northern regions.
UArctic builds and strengthens collective resources and infrastructures that enable member institutions to better serve their constituents and their regions.
Through cooperation in education, research, and outreach the Network aims to enhance human capacity in the North, promote viable communities and sustainable economies, and forge global partnerships.
Created in 2001 through The Arctic Council, UArctic is committed to upholding its principles of sustainable development as well as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. UArctic is constituted as an international association based in Finland.
Strathclyde will join more than 140 other members which include: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Tampere University, Durham University, University of Helsinki, University of Washington and the University of Colorado.
Sustainable development
Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, said: “I am delighted that Strathclyde is joining the UArctic network, particularly in the year that Glasgow welcomes the COP26 summit.
“Strathclyde has an ambitious goal to achieve net zero by 2040 or earlier and we are engaged in a huge range of research work focused on sustainable development and therefore we look forward to working with UArctic partners to make a positive impact on the world.”
Professor Anja Lowit, Co-Director of the Centre for Sustainable Development at Strathclyde, said: “Our Centre’s mission, to co-create solutions with our partners in order to generate real world impact and tackle the UN Sustainable Development Goals, resonates strongly with UArtic’s own commitments.
“Membership of this network will provide us with access to a wide range of thematic research networks in areas we currently operate in, including Business, Politics & Law, Culture & Social Sciences, Engineering & Technology, Health & Education, Humanities & Arts, and the Natural Sciences.
“In addition, UArctic offers educational resources and networks as well as student exchange schemes.
We look forward to working with our new partners to build a strong, engaged, informed, and dynamic North, creating better lives and environments for all northerners, which will complement our work in other regions of the globe.”
The Scottish Government’s Arctic Policy Framework actively encourages the country’s Higher Education institutions to get involved in the UArctic network and foster research collaborations and student exchanges, with a view to developing joint solutions to the challenges and ambitions that Scotland shares with the Arctic.
As a learning organisation, UArctic sets out to create flexible and innovative frameworks that support cooperation between members, bringing together their shared knowledge, diversity, and experience.
It aims to facilitate internationalisation and partnerships for higher education and research and recognise its specific commitments towards northern Indigenous peoples, and respect for their cultures, languages, traditional knowledge, and world views.