The Inuit Nunangat Research Capacity Hub is a distinctions-based initiative designed to advance Priority Area 5 of the National Inuit Strategy on Research: building capacity in Inuit Nunangat research. The project’s goal is to strengthen Inuit-led research systems by investing in human resources, training, and governance structures that support Inuit self-determination in research.
Led by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) in coordination with the four Inuit Treaty organizations, the Hub will support the National Inuit Research Training Committee as a dedicated arm of Inuit research governance. This includes secretariat support at ITK and the completion of an environmental scan of research training across Inuit Nunangat to guide future investments and funding applications.
The Hub will also support Inuit Research Advisors, key staff at Inuit Treaty Organizations who facilitate Inuit involvement in environmental and climate-related research, through annual in-person training sessions that build skills and foster knowledge sharing across regions.
The work will be focused across Inuit Nunangat, encompassing the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Nunavut, Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut. The Hub will also engage regional partners, academic institutions, and federal science departments to ensure Inuit knowledge systems are actively applied alongside Western knowledge systems in a respectful and ethical way.
This work addresses long-standing inequities in research funding and leadership, and supports the federal government’s responsibility to uphold distinctions-based approaches and advance reconciliation through meaningful partnerships in science and research.
The project mobilizes Inuit knowledge systems alongside Western science to inform environmental, economic, and social decision-making. By completing an environmental scan of research training across Inuit Nunangat and advocating for Inuit-specific methodologies in funding frameworks, the Hub ensures that Inuit priorities and ethical standards shape research agendas and outcomes.
