A primary goal of the Nuuk workshop was discussing ways to increase and maintain high quality U.S.-Greenland collaborative projects, especially in the natural sciences. The group identified solutions for increasing collaborative work (Figure 1), with recognition that social scientists, and to some extent, biologists, have successfully completed co-produced research.
This diagram outlines the core barriers to successful collaborations. Five solutions (S1 – S5) were provided, many of which support multiple drivers of successful collaborations.
The number one discussed solution for increasing and improving U.S.-Greenland research collaborations was to develop opportunities for face-to-face meetings. Individual connections at meetings, especially if they can be at regular intervals (e.g., annual or biennial), are effective at advancing collaborative work. Greenland workshop participants noted that they often provide letters of collaboration after an initial phone or e-mail contact but that there is often no follow-up. U.S. researchers note that they have had difficulty finding and getting responses from researchers in Greenland within their discipline. In person meetings are great for initial introductions, advancing ideas, defining project roles and funding allocations, and building relationships and trust, essential elements of successful collaborative projects (Figure 1).
Some specific recommendations:
The use of listservs and networking-focused websites can facilitate introductions to potential collaborators from different disciplines, agencies, and institutions (Figure 1). Interested stakeholder groups and community members should be encouraged to participate in these online networks. These websites can also provide information about ongoing projects, funding, logistics, and infrastructure. This is important for increasing the transparency of research in Greenland and so that researchers are aware of the breadth of research and research locations. These should be an initial starting point for any researcher wanting to embark on a new project in Greenland. The following four websites provide information about ongoing research in Greenland:
1. Isaaffik: The Arctic Gateway (www.isaaffik.org): Anyone engaged with Arctic research, education, infrastructure, and logistics may join Isaaffik, a web platform in support of research and collaboration.
2. Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) Collaborations (www.iarpccollaborations.org): This U.S.-based website brings together scientists from Federal, State, academic, NGO, industry, indigenous and international organizations to share their work and team up to solve complex Arctic issues.
3. Arctic Research Mapping Application (www.armap.org): This interactive web map, designed for funding agencies, logistics planners, research investigators, students, and others, shows information about hundreds of projects around the Arctic.
4. The U.S. National Science Foundation’s Arctic Data Center (https://arcticdata.io/): U.S. researchers are required to submit their data here within two years of collection, or by the end of the award, whichever comes first.
Some specific recommendations:
Workshop participants repeatedly stressed the importance of funding mechanisms for collaborative work (Figure 1). Participants discussed how funding from the U.S. or Greenland could be used to support time and effort of foreign researchers. Participants offered the following ideas for funding and development:
One significant outcome for the U.S. workshop participants was learning about the various agencies and organizations in Greenland that support research (see Greenland and U.S. Research Institutions). This is an essential starting point for identifying facilities and collaborators.
Briefly described at the workshop was an International Arctic Science Hub to be located in Nuuk. The Ministry of Higher Education and Science in Denmark and the Ministry of Industry, Energy, and Research of Naalakkersuisut are working to establish the hub to facilitate Arctic research on behalf of the Kingdom of Denmark. The headquarters will be placed in Nuuk with satellite hubs around the Kingdom of Denmark. The hub will serve as a main access point for researchers interested in collaborations. Ideally, each major town or settlement in Greenland will have a point of contact for researchers to connect with partners/students/researchers in Greenland.
Future workshops can lead to the development of joint U.S.-Greenland statements of research priorities, codes of conduct, and collaborative research best practices (Figure 1). These statements and the workshops themselves will build relationships among collaborators and lead to high-quality future projects.