On 12th and 13th May, the Læra Institute took part in the UArctic Thematic Network and Institute Leadership Conference, hosted by the University of St Andrews on their beautiful campus. As we are a relatively new part of the UArctic, having been established not long before the pandemic lockdowns, it an excellent opportunity for us to introduce our work to revitalise and strengthen Circumpolar Studies across the UArctic network, and to encourage UArctic members to get involved with our plans.
More than that, it was a real pleasure finally to meet other UArctic faculty and staff in person! And Scotland was a fitting location for one of the first in-person UArctic meetings since the pandemic. With seven UArctic member universities—a large proportion of their total universities, and more than any other non-Arctic country bar China—Scotland is actively engaged with the Circumpolar North. More information is available from the Scottish Government's Arctic policy framework, Arctic Connections, which includes a chapter on the contribution that Scotland believes it can make to education in Northern contexts.
Many thanks to the UArctic Secretariat for inviting us to speak at this year's conference. Download a copy of our conference presentation to learn more.
