North Hunt

Main project partners in North Hunt are ten and come from five different countries, four of which are with in the Northern Periphery Finland, Sweden, Iceland and Scotland. In addition there is one partner from Canada.

The project includes 3 different kinds of partner levels that are main partners, national co-operation partners and reference group partners.

Finland

There are two main project partners from Finland University of Helsinki, Ruralia Institute and Haapavesi Vocational School.

Ruralia Institute is an independently administrated multidisciplinary expert institute at the University of Helsinki. The mission of the institute is to improve the welfare of rural people and develop the sources of livelihood in the rural areas through research, development, education and training.  In total the institute has about a hundred employees specialising on rural research development and training activities.
The key areas of expertise are:
•    Rural entrepreneurship
•    Rural policy
•    Rural culture

The Institute has done pioneering work with small-scale entrepreneurship in the food, nature-based entrepreneurship sectors and in the reorganisation of rural services, and has special know-how in promoting entrepreneurship and business activities in rural areas.

The Institute aims to bring together both scientific competence and practical knowledge and  it  works in close co-operation with the different Helsinki University departments, other research and training organisations, enterprises and local government bodies on regional, national and transnational levels.

Contact person: Anne Matilainen, anne.matilanen(at)helsinki.fi

Iceland

There are three project partners in Iceland the Research centre of the University of Akureyri (national leader), the Icelandic tourism Research centre and Umhverfisstofnun



The Research Centre of the University of Akureyri (RHA) is a centre within the University of Akureyri.  The centre receives funding for specific tasks within the university, but mainly procures income from research projects and consultations for firms, organisations, ministries and from domestic and foreign research grants. RHA has been on an upturn as of late as the demand for new projects has increased dramatically. Parallel to the broadened scope of the operation the number of employees that work at the institution has increased. Today 10 researchers work at the centre in addition to a managing director, two project managers and an office manager . The researchers engage almost exclusively in researches concerning rural and regional development, innovation and local government in addition to diverse sociological research.

Contact person: Hjördís Sigurgeirsdóttir, Researcher, email: hjordis(at)unak.is, Tel: +354 462 8905



The Icelandic Tourism Research Centre (ITRC) is the focal point for research in tourism studies in Iceland. The ITRC is a cooperative project between the University of Iceland, the University of Akureyri, Hólar University, The Icelandic Tourist Board and The Icelandic Travel Industry Association, receiving funding and goodwill from all of these along with backing from government funds. The aim of this co-operation is the sharing of facilities and skills in order to promote research and education that is of mutual interest to both the universities and the tourist industry in Iceland. The co-operation strengthens the links between the universities and the business community and builds up knowledge and networking resources in the field of tourism.

Contact person: Eyrún J. Bjarnadóttir, Reaearcher, Email: ejb(at)unak.is, Tel: +354 462 8931


Umhverfisstofnun

Sweden

Scotland

There are two main partners in Scotland, Macaulay Land Use Research Institute (MA) and University of Aberdeen, Department of Geography and Environment.


The University of Aberdeen is Scotland's third oldest, and the fifth oldest in the UK. Aberdeen is an international university built on serving one of the most dynamic regions of Europe. With over 13,000 students, and over 3000 staff, we are at the forefront of teaching and research in medicine, the humanities and sciences, and have a long-standing tradition of international, cross-disciplinary research in the rural arena.

Within Geography & Environment, ‘sustainability science’ is an important focus of research, covering various interactions between humans, environments and landscapes. We recognise the need to address environmental concerns at global, national and regional/local scales by transcending natural and social science research traditions. Specific research interests cover processes, knowledge systems and valuation techniques in environmental decision-making, a well as investigating integrative research concepts and approaches that facilitate cooperation across disciplinary boundaries.

Contact person,



Founded in 1930, the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute is an international centre for research and consultancy on the environmental and social consequences of rural land uses. Interdisciplinary research across the environmental and social sciences aims to support the protection of natural resources, the creation of integrated land use systems, and the development of sustainable rural communities.

With an annual income from research and consultancy of over £11M, the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute is the largest interdisciplinary research organisation of its kind in Europe. At Macaulay the 300 staff and postgraduate students are drawn from over 25 countries, and conduct research in Scotland, across Europe and internationally, with a wide range of partner organisations.

The research undertaken provides evidence that will help shape future environmental and rural-development policy both in Scotland and internationally.

Canada