New Arctic strategy opens doors for more researchers

New Arctic strategy opens doors for more researchers

NEWS The Swedish Government has presented a new strategy for a peaceful, secure and sustainable Arctic. The strategy is shaped by a changing security policy landscape, but it also highlights issues related to climate, health, societal development, research and regional development. For researchers at Umeå University, it creates new opportunities to contribute knowledge on the issues that shape Arctic futures.

A new focus for Swedish Arctic policy

Sweden's new Arctic strategy marks a clear shift in how the Arctic is described in Swedish policy. Security, preparedness, critical infrastructure, strategic resources and economic security are given greater prominence than the previous strategy. The background is a changing international context, shaped by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Sweden's membership of NATO and growing international interest in the Arctic.
- The new strategy confirms that Sweden increasingly sees the Arctic as part of its immediate security policy environment. Security issues are given a much more prominent role than before, while questions of societal preparedness, critical infrastructure and economic security are woven together with traditional security policy, says Niklas Eklund, Professor at the Department of Political Science at UmeåUniversity.

societal preparedness, critical infrastructure and economic security are woven together with security policy

At the same time, the strategy is considerably broader than a security policy agenda. It also covers climate and the environment, health, research, culture, digitalisation, Indigenous issues, regional development and international cooperation. The Government describes the Arctic as a region where security, sustainable development and societal development are increasingly interconnected.

Arctic issues concern more fields of research

This broad approach means that the strategy concerns significantly more research disciplines than those traditionally associated with the Arctic or with security policy.
- The new strategy shows that Arctic issues concern far more areas of research than many people might assume. Questions of security, health, societal development, energy, climate and governance are interconnected. This means that many researchers at Umeå University have key knowledge that is relevant to the Arctic, even if they do not traditionally define their research as Arctic, says Keith Larson, Director of the Arctic Centre at Umeå University.

Questions of security, health, societal development, energy, climate and governance are interconnected

The strategy highlights, among other things, sustainable and resilient societies, health and well-being, research and innovation, the energy transition, critical raw materials, and the development of infrastructure and digital solutions in northern areas.

For researchers at Umeå University, this may create new opportunities to connect their research to current societal challenges. Healthcare in sparsely populated regions, democracy and governance, climate change, biodiversity, energy, transport and digitalisation are examples of areas with a clear connection to the priorities highlighted in the strategy.

- Security is not only about military issues. Robustness and resilience are also built through functioning societies, trust, health, infrastructure and democratic institutions. That is why knowledge from many different fields of research becomes important as the Arctic changes, says Niklas Eklund.

An opportunity to strengthen collaboration

Umeå University holds a strong position in the Swedish part of the Arctic and conducts research in many of the areas identified as important in the strategy. For the Arctic Centre, the new strategy is an opportunity to make this breadth more visible and to create new encounters between researchers from different disciplines.
- An important task for the Arctic Centre is to help researchers see how their expertise can contribute to Arctic issues. The strategy shows that the need for knowledge in an Arctic context is much broader than many might imagine, says Keith Larson.

The Arctic Centre works to create connections between researchers, support interdisciplinary collaboration and make research with Arctic relevance visible nationally and internationally. The new strategy provides further opportunities to connect research at Umeå University to issues high on the national and international agenda.

For researchers, the strategy does not mean that their own research needs to change. Rather, it shows that many fields of research already have an important role to play as the future of the Arctic unfolds. As questions of security, climate, health, resources and societal development become more important, so too does the need for the broad knowledge found across the university.