Understanding community-researcher partnerships in the natural sciences: A case study from the Arctic

Rural community participation in scientific knowledge production processes has become a central component of research and development policy and practice internationally. However, relatively little is known about the factors that influence the development of successful research partnerships in the applied natural sciences, as well as their associated outcomes. This paper presents an in-depth case study of a successful community-researcher natural resource science partnership in the Canadian Arctic. The results suggest both context and process-related factors were important to the research partnership, including funding and performance assessment processes, leadership and capacity at the community level, the proposal development and research design strategies, and the timing and perceived transparency in results dissemination. Researchers and local stakeholders also strongly valued the informal interactions that are often not part of the research process in the natural sciences. This idle time spent in the community facilitated the development of local networks and friendships and played an important role in building the human and social capital of all stakeholders. The outcomes of the partnership strategies used by those involved were numerous and went beyond the more tangible financial benefits, including outcomes such as legitimizing the knowledge systems of both parties and aiding in their integration and mutual understanding. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.