Banner Photo: Gita Ljubicic

Making research work for Nunavummiut: Rethinking community consultation and engagement to enhance Inuit self-determination in research 

2021 – 2026

Funded by: SSHRC Insight Grant and Canada Research Chairs Program

Graduate Student Funding Opportunities are available for this project.

Inuit, along with other Indigenous peoples, have experienced a long history of exploitative and extractive research in their homelands. In Inuit Nunangat (Inuit homelands in Canada), the value of research for communities is recognized; however, there remain concerns around the conduct and relevance of research. These concerns have sparked increased efforts to articulate and implement Inuit self-determination in research.

In Nunavut, there is an established research licensing process to ensure community consultation and encourage community engagement in the natural/physical, health, and social sciences, as well as Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (Inuit knowledge and values) research. The Nunavut Research Institute (NRI) is responsible for facilitating this licensing review process, as well as promoting scientific research as a resource for the well-being of Nunavummiut (people of Nunavut). In the previous Nunavut Research Trends project, the NRI partnered with university researchers to undertake the first systematic review of their research licensing database. From this work we realized there is a critical need to engage research review committees and community research leaders in a broad consultation to understand their experiences with the research process. This project aims to transform research processes in Nunavut to better reflect community research priorities, protocols and expectations.

Our diverse team brings long-term experience with academic and community-led research across Nunavut. Together we can address concerns we have been hearing from Nunavummiut for years about community research fatigue and the need for improved community consultation and engagement in research processes. The objectives of our research are to:

1. Identify the factors contributing to research fatigue and saturation in Nunavut;
2. Design new ways to track and improve the relevance and benefits of research to Nunavummiut;   
3. Develop new reporting and communication tools to improve the accessibility ofresearch results for community members, organizations, and decision-makers;
4. Develop recommendations for the respectful use of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit in all research processes; and,
5. Create training and mentorship resources to enhance research capacity in Nunavut.

This project will help to inform a Nunavut-specific approach to implementing the National Inuit Strategy on Research with the goal of improving research engagement, capacity, and outcomes across Nunavut.

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