2-02419

NORTHERN SCIENCE TRAINING PROGRAM FUNDING INCREASED TO $1 MILLION STARTING IN 2004

EDMONTON (October 25, 2003) - On behalf of the Honourable Robert D. Nault, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Nancy Karetak-Lindell, Member of Parliament for Nunavut, announced today that funding to participating Canadian universities under the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) Northern Scientific Training Program (NSTP) will increase to $1 million per year, beginning in the fall of 2004.

This increase will allow Canadian students of northern science and researchers alike to better contribute to the pool of knowledge about the North, and capitalize on international research results.

"I am pleased to support this increase in funding," said Nancy Karetak-Lindell. "The purpose of the NSTP is to support Canadian universities in providing training that gives advanced and graduate students the opportunity to gain professional experience in the Canadian North. It also encourages them to develop a commitment to northern work."

"As other nations discover the significance of the Arctic, more international research teams are gathering in our North," said Minister Nault. "Our objective is to increase the number of graduate and other advanced students within Canadian universities who have specialized in some aspects of northern studies and who have northern research experience."

In addition to work in Canada's North, the Program also considers applications from students interested in undertaking research in other circumpolar countries, such as Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia and the United States (Alaska).

Since its beginning in 1961, the NSTP has offered approximately 7,400 students in northern studies the opportunity to pursue specialized work in the North. The NSTP achieves its objectives by providing supplementary financial assistance to universities for students to cover costs attributable to a northern research project, which involves supervised field experience in the Canadian North. NSTP funds are used to defray transportation costs, living expenses, freight costs and interpreter fees encountered when carrying out field work.

Over the years, the program has provided close to $18.6 million toward university-sponsored scientific research projects. Most of the Canadian scientists active in northern research today have been former recipients of NSTP grants at some point in their careers.

The NSTP has supported a diverse range of studies such as fatty-acid transfer in Arctic food webs and atmospheric pollution monitoring in the Canadian Arctic. This year, 30 universities requested a total of $1,306,944 in new NSTP funds and were awarded $636,000.

The funding increase will permit a greater number of students to benefit from the NSTP and allow for higher per-student allocations under the Program.

For information, contact:

Diane Laursen
Media Relations
(819) 994-2044

Back to News Release Index