Do you want to foster collaboration in research for and within the Arctic regions of Finland, Norway, and Sweden? If so, take the opportunity and apply to become an Arctic Six Chair. Deadline is 20 March, 2026.

Become an Arctic Six Chair

The Chairs programme is the primary format for research collaboration within The Arctic Six, comprising scholars with the will and capacity to build alliances in research between the Arctic Six universities, thereby forming new collaborations or strengthening existing ones. The objective is, firstly, to generate collaborations in research within The Arctic Six through a bottom-up approach; and secondly, to formulate broader fields of collaboration. The overarching aim is to enhance the success of Arctic Six universities in securing external funding, thereby helping to meet our goal of finding research-based solutions to the joint problems facing our northern societies.

Prospective Arctic Six Chairs are established scholars at an Arctic Six university, with either recent or ongoing research collaborations with other Arctic Six partner universities, or who plan to develop such partnerships. Becoming an Arctic Six Chair will enable scholars to build these collaborations, whilst providing support for developing joint projects, as well as assistance with applying for larger funding calls. Applicants from all disciplines or fields of study are welcome to apply.

Each chair defines their field(s) of collaboration by framing their research focus and plans, including potential linkages with education (if applicable). A chair then builds alliances with colleagues at other Arctic Six universities and beyond. In addition, each chair is expected to participate in relevant Arctic Six events, contribute to the development of related Arctic Six activities, and promote The Arctic Six at their own university and beyond.

Successful applicants will work on their projects on a part-time basis, with a guaranteed time allocation of at least 20% (implementation determined by the host university) and an annual budget approximating €10,000 to cover operational costs. Each Chair appointment is for 2 years, with the possibility of an additional 1-year extension (without guaranteed funding).

The position starts at the beginning of the academic year 2026/2027.

Application Form

Apply for the Chairs programme via the application form linked above.

Along with this application, candidates are required to prepare and submit a two-page Curriculum Vitae with a third page that has a list of your 10 most relevant publications (PDF format and the file name should be "A6 2026 Chairs Call_[your_university]_[your_name].pdf”) to keith.larson@umu.se. Applicants will receive a confirmation of receipt reply after the deadline has passed.

Make sure to apply before deadline on 20 March 2026, 23:59 CET.

• To the Application form

Process Timeline

• Deadline for applications: 20 March 2026, at 23:59 CET
• Evaluation period: 23 March to 1 May 2026
• Candidates informed of decision: 8 May 2026
• Launch of the Arctic Six Chairs: Autumn 2026

Candidate Eligibility

Arctic Six Chairs is a professional appointment for applicants who are currently employed either on a permanent or fixed-term basis (covering the duration of the programme) at one of the Arctic Six universities.

Before completing the application form, applicants should read through it and familiarise themselves with the evaluation criteria. Only fully completed applications from eligible candidates will be considered for evaluation.

• Evaluation criteria (pdf) pdf, 205.4 kB.

Confidentiality

All information provided in the application form and support document will be used for the sole purpose of this call, and all personal data contained within will be handled in compliance with data protection regulations under GDPR.

Contact

For general questions about the Arctic Six Chairs
Keith Larson, Lead Arctic Six Research Working Group, keith.larson@umu.se

For university specific questions about the call, please reach out to your contact at your university:
University of Lapland: Sari Lindblom (sari.lindblom@ulapland.fi)
Luleå University of Technology: Johan Casselgren (johan.casselgren@ltu.se) or Eugenia Segerstedt (eugenia.segerstedt@ltu.se)
Nord University: Tor Gustav Sigeman (tor.g.sigeman@nord.no)
University of Oulu: Mervi Heikkinen (mervi.heikkinen@oulu.fi)
UiT - the Arctic University of Norway: Inger Lin Utakleiv Ræder (inger.l.rader@uit.no)
Umeå University: Keith Larson (keith.larson@umu.se)