Third Cohort of Arctic Six Chairs Gathered in Bodø

Umeå University's new Arctic Six Chairs for 2026–2028 are Anna Baranowska-Rataj, Linda Lundmark, Pedro Sanches and Marcus Schmitt-Egenolf. Three of them, Linda, Pedro and Marcus, attended the forum.

From different research fields to shared challenges

During the forum, Keith Larson, Director of the Arctic Centre at Umeå University, introduced the new Arctic Six Chairs.

Collaboration within the Arctic Six aims not only to strengthen research, but also to contribute to societal development in the Arctic. The new Arctic Six Chairs at Umeå University represent different research fields, but they share an interest in exploring changes in the Arctic and their significance for people, societies and the environment. By bringing together researchers from different disciplines and countries, the universities can contribute knowledge and perspectives on shared challenges.

During the first day of the forum, the Arctic Six Chairs discussed issues within three themes: Governance, Security & Infrastructure Transformation, Climate, Environment & Natural Systems and Societies, Communities & Wellbeing. The discussions covered geopolitical, technological and environmental change, climate change and Arctic ecosystems, as well as health, education, inequality and demography.

Pedro Sanches describes how the event differed from the conferences he usually attends.
“Seeing so many people with a common focus on the Arctic, sharing ideas on how to tackle many urgent and complex environmental and social issues is very energising. Here the focus is not on innovating concepts, methods, or technologies. The focus is external to any discipline, it's out here in the world, it's urgent, and it matters beyond academia,” says Pedro Sanches.

Marcus Schmitt-Egenolf also highlights the programme's opportunities for collaboration.
“What is special for me about the Arctic Six programme is the open and very friendly atmosphere, which in itself encourages interdiciplinary collaborations that I otherwise would not have been able to establish,” says Marcus Schmitt-Egenolf.

The idea behind the Arctic Six Chairs programme is to build a shared capacity to meet the challenges facing the Arctic

From discussions to next steps

During the second day of the forum, the focus was on future collaboration and next steps for the new Arctic Six Chairs. Armando Perez-Cueto from Umeå University led the session Next steps for the new Arctic Six Chairs, where he highlighted the new Chairs' shared research interests and experiences from previous collaborations.

Linda Lundmark emphasises the importance of putting ideas into practice.
“It is about establishing real collaborations, not just on paper, but also actually carrying out what we have planned. At a later stage, this could lead to a larger funding application or a whole range of other collaborations that we do not yet fully know about. The idea behind the Arctic Six Chairs programme is to build a shared capacity to meet the challenges facing the Arctic,” says Linda Lundmark.