{"id":944,"date":"2026-04-08T15:18:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:18:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/?p=944"},"modified":"2026-04-09T08:41:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T06:41:25","slug":"building-bridges-in-svalbard-why-transdisciplinary-research-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/2026\/04\/08\/building-bridges-in-svalbard-why-transdisciplinary-research-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Building bridges in Svalbard: why transdisciplinary research matters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Svalbard\u2019s communities stand at the confluence of climate change, shifting regulations, and a booming tourism industry.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This article summarises findings <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/2154896X.2025.2569950\">from a paper published in <em>The\u00a0Polar\u00a0Journal<\/em> <\/a>that was produced as part of <strong>ArcSolution<\/strong>, a Horizon\u00a0Europe project dedicated to transdisciplinary, One\u00a0Health research in the Arctic. The authors, led by Julia Olsen, argue that no single scientific discipline can tackle these intertwined challenges alone. Instead, the study calls for a <strong>transdisciplinary<\/strong> approach where researchers, policy\u2011makers, industry and residents collaboratively co\u2011produce knowledge and co\u2011design solutions. Through workshops and essays with scientists and local stakeholders, they identify both barriers and pathways for building such bridges in the high Arctic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why transdisciplinarity is needed in Svalbard<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Participants in the study agreed that climate change and socio\u2011economic shifts are transforming Svalbard faster than traditional research can keep up.                                                                                                         Integrating insights from natural sciences, social sciences and local knowledge can help decision\u2011makers navigate tricky \u201cbalancing acts,\u201d such as reconciling environmental protection with growing tourism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors note that involving non\u2011academic actors early fosters trust, gives communities ownership over the research and helps ensure that projects address real needs.                                                                          Examples of successful collaborations include partnerships between scientists, cruise operators, Indigenous organisations and local governments to manage ship noise and monitor biodiversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Barriers to collaboration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite enthusiasm for co\u2011production, the workshops surfaced a series of structural and cultural hurdles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Communication gaps<\/strong> \u2013 Researchers from different disciplines (and non\u2011academic participants) often use the same words to mean different things. Without a shared language, misinterpretations and mistrust can arise.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ambiguous stakeholder definitions<\/strong> \u2013 Participants disliked the term \u201cstakeholder,\u201d noting that it can marginalise individuals who do not fit institutional categories. They preferred more inclusive terms such as <strong>knowledge holders<\/strong>, recognising that residents and workers are often experts in their own right.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Temporal and funding constraints<\/strong> \u2013 Building trust takes time, but current funding schemes offer little room for the pre\u2011project consultations needed to involve non\u2011academic partners. Tight deadlines also make it hard to adapt research questions as new insights emerge.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Data\u2011sharing challenges<\/strong> \u2013 Participants highlighted conflicting norms around data ownership, confidentiality and the definition of \u201cdata,\u201d especially when combining qualitative and quantitative material. While natural\u2011science data is increasingly open, social\u2011science data often remains restricted, and few platforms integrate the two.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Research fatigue and high turnover<\/strong> \u2013 Residents of Longyearbyen report feeling overwhelmed by repeated research requests. The transient nature of Svalbard\u2019s population further complicates long\u2011term partnerships and knowledge retention.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What makes transdisciplinary projects succeed<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Workshop participants proposed concrete practices for overcoming these barriers. Their advice amounts to a \u201ctoolkit\u201d for collaborative Arctic research:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Co\u2011create the agenda from the start<\/strong> \u2013 Identify diverse knowledge holders early, invite them to shape research questions and secure pre\u2011proposal funding for open community meetings. Projects that address locally prioritised challenges are more likely to gain support.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Maintain continuous dialogue<\/strong> \u2013 Consultation should be an ongoing process, with regular meetings, written contributions and co\u2011authorship opportunities. Leveraging existing structures such as the Svalbard Science Forum and the University Centre in Svalbard helps reduce research fatigue and keeps communication channels open.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Allocate time and flexibility<\/strong> \u2013 Plan around local events and busy seasons, provide sufficient time for permissions and internal processes, and remain flexible to incorporate new questions. In\u2011person interactions and informal exchanges build trust and improve collaboration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Design clear data\u2011sharing protocols<\/strong> \u2013 Agree on what counts as data, describe how it was collected and ensure accessibility across disciplines. Encourage open repositories while respecting confidentiality, especially for qualitative material.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Distinguish research from consultancy<\/strong> \u2013 Uphold scientific rigour and adhere to FAIR data principles (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable). Clarify when work is research and when it is providing service, to maintain integrity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Use dedicated spaces and networks<\/strong> \u2013 Create physical or virtual arenas where researchers and knowledge holders can meet, reflect and develop methods together. Institutions like the Svalbard Science Forum and the Svalbard Social Science Initiative provide such platforms.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Lessons for Arctic research projects<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study shows that transdisciplinary research is more than a buzzword; it is a practical framework for tackling \u201cwicked\u201d socio\u2011environmental problems.                                                                                                                  By recognising local residents and industry as experts, addressing structural barriers and sharing data openly, projects can produce knowledge that serves both science and society.                                                   Importantly, the authors argue for funding agencies to support pre\u2011proposal engagement and for the creation of a <strong>transdisciplinary platform<\/strong> that documents best practices and adapts them to Svalbard\u2019s unique context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Such an approach could help Svalbard navigate the demands of climate change, tourism and resource management while honouring the voices of those who live and work there.                                                           As one workshop participant noted, bridging the gap between authorities and scientists has already narrowed through mutual understanding and collaboration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The challenge now is to embed these practices into the way Arctic research is conceived, funded and delivered. <strong>ArcSolution\u2019s mission<\/strong> is to do just that: by fostering One&nbsp;Health collaborations, developing shared data platforms and providing policy\u2011relevant guidance, the project aims to turn the lessons from Svalbard into concrete action across the Arctic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Svalbard\u2019s communities stand at the confluence of climate change, shifting regulations, and a booming tourism industry. This article summarises findings from a paper published in The\u00a0Polar\u00a0Journal that was produced as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":218,"featured_media":947,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"coauthors":[25],"class_list":["post-944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/218"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=944"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/944\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":950,"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/944\/revisions\/950"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=944"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}