A Northern Research Agenda was first initiated in 1995 as one of the strategies of the Aurora College five-year Corporate Plan. This document (A Blueprint for the Future: Aurora College Corporate Plan 1995-2000) outlined the background to this strategy and intended actions:
“Research in the NWT is a critical component of knowledge building for the people of the territory. At the same time, it is also significant to the national and global knowledge base. Scientific research is typically driven by three main forces: scientific inquiry, the availability of research funds, and the needs and interests of research institutions.
It is often difficult to gauge the value of research to both the scientific community and the world as a whole. On the other hand, communities of the North express concern that research is undertaken to meet the needs of the academics while research about community issues is critically needed. To try and address these issues, a northern research agenda should be developed and implemented. This agenda should...address those issues that are most critical to Northerners. It should be specific enough to address the immediate information needs of Northerners and yet be sufficiently broad to advance the potential of pure scientific inquiry in the North. This agenda can form the basis of a research and development strategy for the Northwest Territories.
Actions:
- Establish an annual agenda of research that is required by Northerners by consulting community groups and agencies;
- Increase accessibility [to research] through information sharing and database development;
- Expand research support programs and identify dedicated funds for priority research;
- Examine resources and determine the research that the institute can manage directly and those that require external support;
- Establish formal and informal funding and research partnerships with appropriate agencies to meet the needs of researchers and communities;
- Promote the northern research agenda through communications with other agencies and students;
- Lead in the development of technologies in the Northwest Territories;
- Establish priorities and capabilities for in-house research;
- Promote participatory, action research, where possible;
- Develop the College as a Centre for Excellence in community based, northern research.”
To begin the development of a research agenda, in 1995 the Aurora Research Institute submitted a Research Needs Assessment questionnaire to aboriginal organizations, educational institutions, government departments, health agencies, municipalities and nongovernmental organizations throughout the NWT. This survey of research needs and priorities became the basis for the first edition of the Northern Research Agenda (now the NWT Research Agenda). This was an important document for the ARI, aboriginal organizations, government departments and the private sector as it provided written evidence of the research needs and concerns of Northwest Territories residents. The original document has served to guide the direction and initiatives of our organization and researchers planning to conduct studies in the NWT.
A number of important changes have taken place in the NWT since publication of the original Northern Research Agenda. An explosion of industrial, resource-based development, the settlement and working out of land claims, and the restructuring of key government departments are just a few of the high profile issues changing the face of the Northwest Territories.
These changes have undoubtedly influenced the social, economic, and environmental fabric of the NWT. They may have also produced new strategic directions and research priorities. If the NWT Research Agenda is to remain a dynamic initiative of the ARI it must keep pace with the unfolding direction of the research environment of the NWT.
To read the NWT Research Agenda Survey 2001 in it complete form as a PDF document please click here.
We are currently working on an ongoing online survey as well as utilization of a wiki to report results, both current and historic. We hope to have this activated by mid-2008.