What's IARPC

The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC), which consists of principals from 16 agencies, department, and offices across the Federal government, is charge with enhancing both the scientific monitoring of and research on local, regional, and global environmental issues in the Arctic. Meeting the Nation's economic, scientific, and environmental needs, IARPC envisions a prosperous, sustainable and healthy Arctic understood through research coordinated among Federal agencies and domestic and international collaborators.

IARPC's 5-Year Research Plan And Community Engagement

In February 2013, the Executive Office of the President released the Arctic Research Plan; FY2013-2017. The IARPC 5-year plan intentionally builds on the strong intellectual accomplishments and ideas of the research community at the Federal, State, local, and tribal levels as well as inclusion of ideas from the academic community, non-governmental organizations, and industry. The challenge is to continue to harness this scientific talent wherever it exists to address our Arctic research needs. IAPRC has established collaboration teams to carry out the activities described in the 5-year plan. Many of those activities involve establishing and enhancing inter-institutional and interdisciplinary conversations. Harnessing talent requires broad participation and, therefore, all meetings, unless otherwise noted, are open to the public. When necessary, Collaboration Team chairs may call federal-only meetings for the development of funding solicitations (pre-decisional discussions). These meetings will not be publically announced.

Background

The Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 (ARPA) (PDF - 33 KB), Public Law 98-373, July 31, 1984, as amended by Public Law 101-609, November 16, 1990, provides for a comprehensive national policy dealing with national research needs and objectives in the Arctic. The ARPA establishes an Arctic Research Commission (ARC) and an Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) to help implement the Act. IARPC was formally created by Executive Order 12501. Its activities have been coordinated by the National Science Foundation (NSF), with the Director of the NSF as chair.

A July 2011 Presidential memo established the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee as an Interagency Working Group of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainability (CENRS). The IARPC operates under the guidelines established by the NSTC for an IWG and reports directly to the CENRS.