Thule-instituutti

POLARIN (Polar Infrastructure Network) on uusi EU -rahoitteinen hanke, jossa 50 partnerin muodostama verkosto tarjoaa tutkijoille pääsyn polaaritutkimusinfrastruktuureihin sekä Arktisella että Antarktiksella. Euroopan Unioni rahoittaa POLARIN -hanketta yhteensä 14,6 miljoonalla eurolla seuraavien viiden vuoden ajan. Maaliskuun alussa käynnistyvä hanke edistää poikkitieteellistä tutkimusta vastaten molempien polaarialueiden kohtaamiin haasteisiin.

Hankkeen pääkoordinaattori on Alfred Wegener Instituutti Saksassa. Oulun yliopistolla on hankkeessa merkittävä rooli; Thule Instituutti vetää hankkeen mittavinta työpakettia Transnational Accessia, ja Oulangan tutkimusasema on mukana tarjoamassa kansainvälisille tieteentekijöille mahdollisuutta tutkimusvierailuhin asemalla.

Lue lisää POLARIN tiedotteesta

The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the eight Arctic States, six Arctic indigenous communities in six working groups on specific issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic. Finland has chaired the Arctic Council twice, most recently from 2017-2019. Iceland holds the Chairmanship from May 2019 to May 2021.

Members of the Arctic Council are: Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States. In addition, six organizations representing Arctic Indigenous peoples have status as Permanent Participants. The category of Permanent Participant was created to provide for active participation and full consultation with the Arctic Indigenous peoples within the Council. The work of the Council is primarily carried out in the six Working Groups. Vice-president Research Arja Rautio is the Finnish nominated member of two health groups (AHHEG, HHAG) under Sustainable Development Working Group and Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Working Group.

The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) monitors the Arctic environment, ecosystems and human populations, and provides scientific advice to support governments as they tackle pollution and the adverse effects of climate change. AMAP's work is directed by the Ministers of the Arctic Council and their Senior Arctic Officials, who have requested AMAP also support the international processes that work to reduce global threats from contaminants and climate change. This includes the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UNEP's Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and Minimata Convention on mercury, and the United Nation's Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE) Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution.

The Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) works to advance sustainable development in the Arctic and to improve the conditions of Arctic communities as a whole. The Terms of Reference for the SDWG were formally adopted at the Arctic Council Ministers’ Meeting in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada in September 1998. The goal of the Sustainable Development program of the Arctic Council is to propose and adopt steps to be taken by the Arctic States to advance sustainable development in the Arctic. This includes pursuing opportunities to protect and enhance the environment and the economies, culture and health of indigenous peoples and Arctic communities. The guiding tenet running throughout the work of the SDWG is to pursue initiatives that provide practical knowledge and contribute to building the capacity of indigenous peoples and Arctic communities to respond to the challenges and benefits from the opportunities in the Arctic region.

The Thule Institute at the University of Oulu and the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland are the Finnish representatives of the European Polar Board (EPB, established in 1995).

The Secretariat is hosted by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. Current EPB members are research institutes, funding agencies, scientific academies, and polar operators from across Europe. It is an independent entity that focuses on major strategic priorities of research in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions and provides strategic advice on Arctic and Antarctic issues. The mission of the EPB is to improve European coordination in the Arctic and Antarctic research by optimizing the use of European research infrastructure. EPB promotes multilateral collaboration between its members and provides a single contact point for the global polar research community.

The Finnish National Committee of Arctic and Antarctic Research works to advance Finnish polar research and it is the national committee for the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and International Arctic Science Committee (IASC).

The most significant institutions conducting Arctic or Antarctic research in Finland are represented in the national committee. The activities of the Finnish National Committee of Arctic and Antarctic Research is coordinated and supported by the Council of Finnish Academies. The Council allocates national committees from various disciplines with state subsidies from the Ministry of Education and Culture.

International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) is a non-governmental, international scientific organization.

The Founding Articles committed IASC to pursue a mission of encouraging and facilitating cooperation in all aspects of Arctic research, in all countries engaged in Arctic research and in all areas of the Arctic region. Overall, IASC promotes and supports leading interdisciplinary research in order to foster a greater scientific understanding of the Arctic region and its role in the Earth system. There are six working groups, for which every member country can nominate two representatives. Currently from the University of Oulu there is Docent Mervi Heikkinen in the Social and Human Working Group.

The International Union for Circumpolar Health (IUCH) is an international non-governmental organization with members, adhering bodies and affiliates throughout the circumpolar regions. It has been active since 1967. There has been a long-standing need for the exchange of medical knowledge, as well as the results of recent research and demonstrated solutions to problems for the benefit of humankind. It arranges every third year an international congress, the 18th congress will be held in Yellowknife, Canada, in 2024. Arctic communities, with the general and specific medical and health problems found in this region, obviously share this need with the rest of the world. The health problems and needs of northern peoples have become the focus of the organization. It is the only organization of its kind, dedicated to the health problems of the circumpolar regions — the International Union for Circumpolar Health. IUCH is an observer of the Arctic Council.

In order to support its members and affiliates, and the scientific and indigenous communities at large, the IUCH has clearly established working groups that concentrate on specific health problems of importance to circumpolar populations, in addition it maintains several publications and supports international efforts in Telemedicine and Health Informatics.

Dr. Anastasia Emelyanova, PhD
Email: anastasia.emelyanova (at) oulu.fi
Puhelin: +358 50 5059636
Huoneen numero: IT256

Kirsi Latola, vt. Thule-instituutin johtaja, Tutkimuskoordinaattori, Arktisen yliopiston temaattisten verkostojen johtaja
Email: kirsi.latola (at) oulu.fi
Puhelin: +358 294 483565
Huoneen numero: IT234

Hannele Savela, PhD, Tutkimuskoordinaattori
Email: hannele.savela (at) oulu.fi
Puhelin: +358 294 487554
Huoneen numero: IT256

Heli Niittynen, Suunnittelija, UArctic Manager of Thematic Networks
Email: heli.niittynen (at) oulu.fi
Puhelin: +358 294483543
Huoneen numero: IT261

Timi Kärki, Suunnittelija
Email: timi.karki (at) oulu.fi
Puhelin: +358 294487366
Huoneen numero: IT253