Pionering China-Nordic Arctic Collaboration

An open seminar hosted by the Northern Research Forum at the University of Akureyri, Thursday 9 August from 12:00-12:45 in room M102, University of Akureyri.

The China-Nordic Arctic Research Center (CNARC): Pioneering China-Nordic Arctic Collaboration

CNARC was established in December 2013 by ten Nordic and Chinese Institutes, which all have capacities to conduct, influence and coordinate Arctic research. Since 2013, CNARC has grown into a consortium of 18 research institutes and universities (10 Nordic and 8 Chinese) with a secretariat based in Shanghai at the Polar Research Institute of China. CNARC's purpose is to provide a platform for academic cooperation to increase awareness, understanding, and knowledge of the Arctic and its global impacts, as well as to promote cooperation for sustainable development of the Nordic Arctic and coherent development of China in a global context. The research priorities of CNARC are (1) Arctic climate change and its impacts, (2) Arctic resources, shipping and economic cooperation, and (3) Arctic policy-making and legislation. Its principal activities include an annual China-Nordic Arctic Cooperation Symposium (rotating between a Nordic and Chinese host), including high-level Roundtable discussions, a fellowship program, which has to-date sponsored 17 Chinese and Nordic researchers, and an upcoming CNARC book on “Nordic Arctic Issues and their Global Relevance.” In 2018, CNARC was included in the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Arctic Cooperation Program and supported as a platform for promoting exchanges and cooperation in China’s Arctic Policy White Paper. In this presentation, CNARC’s evolution over the past five years will be introduced, including its academic impact and role at the intersection of research, policy, and industry. 

Egill Thor Nielsson is Executive Secretary of China-Nordic Arctic Research Center (CNARC).