It was decided, back in 2018 or 2019, that Canada and the Arctic were priorities for UK Research and Innovation investment. At that point, we began open and frank conversations with funding agencies in Canada to see how we could work together, essentially—how we could bring the best of UK expertise and assets together with Canadian expertise and assets, and, from that, develop the CINUK programme. It was very much as a result of frank and direct conversations with Polar, NRC, Fonds de recherche du Québec, Parks Canada and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. Understanding what each partner could bring to the table meant we could then bring this program as a whole together, which works equally well for all three communities.
On June 4th, 2024. See this statement in context.