Putting Relationships at the Centre of Northern Research
A Research Ethics Working Group, led by Maike Schmieding at Keyano College, is advancing approaches to Northern research that go beyond standard ethics approval by centring relationships and community priorities. Alongside this work, free and affordable training resources from Carleton University and the University of Alberta offer practical guidance for researchers seeking to build respectful, ethical, and community-led partnerships with Indigenous peoples.
As research activity across the Arctic continues to grow, a group of UArctic members is working to ensure that research in Northern and Indigenous communities is grounded in respectful relationships, Indigenous knowledge systems, and community priorities.
The UArctic Small and Northern Members Research Ethics Working Group, led by Maike Schmieding at Keyano College, was created to address ethical considerations that extend beyond traditional Research Ethics Board (REB) requirements. Members recognized that while REBs focus on participant protection and informed consent, they often overlook the importance of long-term relationships, reciprocity, data sovereignty, meaningful community engagement, and the issues that arise when Southern institutions’ REBs approve research conducted in the North. The group is exploring the development of training resources, practical guidance for researchers, and a potential UArctic Thematic Network dedicated to advancing ethical research across the North.
While the UArctic Small and Northern Members Research Ethics Working Group is developing training resources informed by Northern perspectives and experiences for researchers working across the Arctic and beyond, there are valuable resources already available for Indigenous research. An open-access training resource from Carleton University and a new affordable online course from the University of Alberta provide practical guidance for researchers, students, and professionals seeking to build respectful, ethical partnerships with Indigenous communities.
The open-access Indigenous Community Research Partnerships training resource was developed by Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers and partners, led by a researcher now based at Carleton University. Originally developed in health research, the training provides practical guidance for researchers working in partnership with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities. The resource draws on the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Guidelines for Health Research Involving Aboriginal People and focuses on community priorities, Indigenous knowledge, relationships, and responsibilities in research. It approaches ethical Indigenous research as a lifelong learning journey and encourages researchers to keep learning, reflecting, and adapting their practice over time. The training also looks at challenges within research and funding systems, including the time needed to build relationships and the limited support often available for community-led partnerships. Work at Carleton University is now extending and evaluating the resource for use with researchers in STEM disciplines. The training is freely available online and is intended to support broad use while respecting Indigenous knowledge, community priorities, and contributions.
Complementing this resource is a new Indigenous Engagement and Partnership Development MOOC developed through the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. Led by two Métis academic scholars and featuring 22 Indigenous and non-Indigenous contributors, the course responds to a common challenge: many professionals have completed introductory Indigenous awareness training but lack the practical skills needed to build respectful partnerships with Indigenous communities. The online course focuses on relationality, distinctions-based engagement, Indigenous data sovereignty, OCAP® principles, and collaborative approaches that prioritize Indigenous leadership rather than extractive research practices. Now available on Coursera, the MOOC is available for US$49 (with financial aid and a free introductory module), while undergraduate and graduate students can also complete it as a credit-bearing course through the University of Alberta.
Together, these initiatives reflect the direction of the UArctic Research Ethics Working Group: supporting researchers, students, and institutions with practical tools that strengthen ethical, community-led research. Through promoting approaches grounded in Indigenous knowledge, reciprocity, and long-term relationships, all of these activities help reshape how research is conducted in Northern and Indigenous communities and ensure that communities are not simply participants in research, but partners and leaders in creating knowledge that benefits the North.