In June 2013, during the first China-Nordic Arctic Cooperation Symposium held in Shanghai, PRIC proposed to establish CNARC. The proposal received positive response from Chinese and Nordic institutes, which provided the foundation for the establishment of CNARC.

The CNARC provides a platform for academic cooperation to increase awareness, understanding and knowledge of the Arctic and its global impacts; and promote cooperation for sustainable development of the Nordic Arctic and coherent development of China in a global context. CNARC focuses on the Nordic Arctic and global Arctic issues, with its research themes including Arctic climate change and its impacts, Arctic resources, shipping and economic cooperation and Arctic policy-making and legislation.

The cooperation of CNARC will include four modes of activities: carrying out joint research projects, developing Arctic research networks and frontiers by providing opportunities for Chinese and Nordic scholars to conduct Arctic research through fellowships and scholarships, convening regularly the China-Nordic Arctic Cooperation Symposium and other workshops and facilitating information sharing and cultural exchange between China and Nordic countries in Arctic context.

CNARC is supported by an Assembly of Member Institutes and a secretariat. The Assembly of Member Institutes consists of representatives from Chinese and Nordic institutes with capacities to influence, coordinate and implement Arctic research. The secretariat is based at PRIC.

More information related to Finnish participant Arctic Centre:
Markku Heikkilä
Head of the Science Communications, Arctic Centre
markku.heikkila (at) ulapland.fi
Tel. +358 40 4844 300

CNARC member institutes:

Nordic member institutes
Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland (Finland)
Fridtjof Nansen Institute (Norway)
Icelandic Center for Research (Iceland)
Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (Denmark)
Norwegian Polar Institute (Norway)
Swedish Polar Research Secretariat (Sweden)

Chinese member institutes
Center for Polar and Oceanic Studies, Tongji University
Research Institute of Polar Law and Politics, Ocean University of China
Shanghai Institutes of International Studies
Strategic Studies Division, Polar Research Institute of China
Shanghai Jiao Tong University Centre for Polar and Deep Ocean Development (SJTU-PADOD Centre)