Vision, Mission and Objectives

VISION

INQ's vision reflects its partners' desire and determination to develop a sustainable North based on a foundation of knowledge. To integrate scientific knowledge with that of local communities, including Indigenous knowledge, and partner with the public and private sectors to develop the Canadian Arctic and Northern Quebec for future generations, providing clean energy, healthy ecosystems, viable infrastructures, economic prosperity, vibrant cultures, and adapted education and healthcare systems.

MISSION

The INQ's mission is to keep its partners at the forefront of knowledge development and its application with respect to northern and circumpolar development.

INQ'S OVERALL OBJECTIVES

• Build a synergy between Quebec centers of Northern excellence in natural, health, social and human sciences, and in the fields of arts and culture;
• Assist Québec university and college researchers, as well as their Canadian and foreign partners, in establishing stable and coordinated access to the land, oceans and communities of northern Quebec and the Canadian Arctic;
• Increase and update the knowledge and observations required to address ecosystemic issues raised by social, political, economic, and climate change in the North;
• Train the next generation of researchers, both from the South and the North, who will adapt the concept of sustainable development to the specificities of Northern Quebec and the Canadian Arctic;
• Develop and consolidate international research collaborations in the field of Arctic research and the study of Northern Quebec;
• Involve northern experts from universities, colleges, communities, governments and the private sector in the research process through knowledge transfer and training;
• Provide decision makers in governments, northern and aboriginal communities, and the private sector with the knowledge and expertise necessary for the sustainable development of northern Quebec and the Canadian Arctic;
• At their request, support the indigenous population of the North in their political, economic and social development by pooling scientific knowledge and indigenous knowledge;
• At their request, support members of the INQ in defining their research and development strategy, and in deploying their research capacity;
• Align with the private sector in the development of value-added technological sectors and in the risk assessment of the industrialization of the North;
• Participate in international discussions and decisions on northern and Arctic issues;
• Translate our growing understanding of the North into impact assessments, adaptation strategies and national and international policies;
• Assure the social impact of the research conducted by the INQ researchers;
• Encourage collaboration among INQ members, to bring together the efforts of all to achieve the mission of the Institut nordique du Québec;
• Showcase Quebec's expertise and leadership in northern sciences.