Supporting and Raising Awareness on Indigenous Leadership in Research

The last decade has seen an increase in initiatives to support and promote research with and by Indigenous communities, as well as raise awareness of Indigenous research approaches. Research councils and funders from around the world have built relationships and developed collaborations with Indigenous researchers and communities to co-develop and implement programs that aim to reflect and advance Indigenous research priorities. Questions that have driven these initiatives include: What are the best or most needed approaches and mechanisms to support research by and with Indigenous peoples? How can funders enable and promote culturally safe research practices within systems of knowledge production dominated by non-Indigenous science traditions? What forms of training and (un)learning are required to promote ethical research collaborations, premised on respectful and meaningful engagement with Indigenous communities and their knowledge and governance systems? How can and should research councils and funders increase access to funding for Indigenous researchers, communities, and collaborators? How can research councils and funders support building more awareness and understanding of Indigenous research approaches? This panel will reflect on funders’ support for Indigenous research over the last decade and, in the context of this Science Summit, focus on how various strategies and mechanisms support Indigenous Peoples in research related to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals in particular, working to expand engagement with Indigenous Peoples and establish relationships based on respect and reciprocity. From funders’ perspectives, the panelists will speak to the following approaches, from their own contexts and in relation to the calls to action advanced in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Truth-telling and Accountability: a brief overview of why this work to support Indigenous leadership and self-determination in research is important in respective (inter)national contexts, given the history of objectifying Indigenous Peoples through colonial, extractive and/or non-Indigenous research paradigms SDG angle 1: Empowerment of Indigenous people in research through access, funding, and leadership opportunities SDG angle 2: Support for Indigenous students and early career researchers through special calls or programs designed to support further inclusion in research SDG angle 3: Specific topic areas in which Indigenous research has been, and will be, instrumental, including but not limited to: food security, climate change, disinformation, artificial intelligence, and more (opportunity to highlight key research projects, innovations, etc. of funded projects) Each of the panelists brings their own funder’s perspective on supporting and raising awareness about Indigenous leadership in research and how they have engaged in building understanding of Indigenous knowledge and science systems as forward thinking and critical to addressing important topics for a shared future.