The goal of the ARP is for students to learn community based project development and knowledge discovery. The project topic is in relation to issues identified as important to the prosperity of the community and significant to northern governance and sustainable development. It is anticipated that as graduate learners, students will develop confidence, capacity, and skills in project management, inter-professional collaboration, leadership, critical analyses and knowledge mobilization.

In addition to gaining knowledge and developing skills, students also build capacity by:

• providing experience working with industry, government, indigenous organizations and institutions and other organizations and stakeholders;
• fostering professional networks; and
• serving the research needs of northern community organizations and other stakeholders.

Collectively, the ARP will demonstrate a breadth and diversity of northern-focused concepts that challenge students to be creative and innovative.

The aim of the ARP is to provide northern and Indigenous communities with high-quality research in crucial fields, including:

• development of governance structures, policies and processes;
• preparation of policies, programs, and planning documents;
• project funding assessments, requests or applications;
• business cases for local plans;
• program evaluations or implementations; and
• needs assessments.