The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is accepting applications for the second Fulbright Arctic Initiative. Faculty and researchers from the eight Arctic Council member states (the U.S., Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden) can now apply for this 18-month collaborative research program, which will begin in spring 2018 and run through the fall of 2019.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build relations between the people of the United States and the people of other countries that are needed to solve global challenges. Using a collaborative multidisciplinary model to emphasize communication across disciplines and knowledge co-production, the Initiative will translate theory into practice to address public-policy research questions relevant to Arctic Council member states' shared challenges and opportunities.
Approximately 12 scholars will be selected through an open, merit-based competition to participate in an individual Fulbright exchange and convene with the other scholars for three in-person group seminars and on-going virtual communication to carry out team-based research.
The Fulbright Arctic Initiative will provide 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 should 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.
Deadline for international applicants: 16 October 2017
Deadline for U.S. applicants: 30 October 2017