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 the major northern regions (North America and northern Europe).
- 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
Establishment of new Thematic Networks
For information about creating a new UArctic Thematic Network, see the guidelines for establishing new Thematic Networks 2024 or contact the Thematic Networks Office (thematicnetworks@uarctic.org).
Joining an existing Thematic Network
If your work matches an already existing Thematic Network, you can be directly in touch with them to enquire about possibilities to join. You'll find the contact person(s) listed on each Thematic Network's page.
As a general rule, you should be keen on building cooperation and being an active member of the Thematic Network. Therefore, in your message, share some details about your work, research and interests, what made you contact that particular Thematic Network, and how you could contribute to their activities. Thematic Networks operate independently, so they can choose whether or not they accept new members.
Closing a Thematic Network
- The Vice-President Research and Director of Thematic Networks may formally close inactive or active networks when annual reports are missing or the network is judged to not adhere to UArctic values, goals or operational procedures. This decision may be brought to the Council if disputed.
