About the CASCADES Expedition

Institut nordique du Québec (INQ) is a leading hub for research and training on the North and the Arctic. Bringing together 17 Québec universities, numerous partners, and the Northern First Peoples, INQ fosters cross-sector collaboration to address major northern challenges. It contributes to enriching training, value-creating research, and the development of concrete, resilient, and adapted solutions for the North and the Arctic.

As an institution of national importance, the Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) supports scientists based in Switzerland who work on polar and remote high-altitude environments. The SPI acts as a focal point for Swiss research in these regions, enhancing opportunities, promoting collaborations, and providing key services.

The French Polar Institute is a public organization responsible for bringing to fruition French research operations in the polar regions of the Globe. The French Polar Institute deploys substantial resources and specially adapted, technologically advanced systems to research sites. The Institute also employs people with the special knowledge and skills required for top quality scientific research in extremely harsh polar conditions. Its activities span the Arctic, the French sub-Antarctic islands, and Antarctica, advancing our understanding of climate and environmental issues.

Based at Université Laval, Amundsen Science is the organization responsible for managing the scientific mandate of the research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen. Mobilized for research in 2002 thanks to major grants from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and other partners, the Amundsen is at the heart of a revitalized Canadian effort to study the changing Arctic Ocean. Since 2003, the research icebreaker has welcomed more than 120 Canadian and foreign teams, who have deployed 52 major scientific programs, totalling nearly half a billion dollars in research investment.

Transforming Climate Action (TCA) is an initiative dedicated to supporting collective efforts to better understand and address climate-related challenges. By bringing together diverse expertise, organizations, and partners, TCA promotes collaboration, knowledge sharing, and coordinated action. Its work contributes to the development of informed, forward-looking approaches that support resilience and long-term responses to climate change.

The Pinngortitaleriffik (Greenland Institute of Natural Ressources – GINR) is a public research institution dedicated to understanding and monitoring Greenland’s natural environment. Through research, long-term observation, and collaboration with national and international partners, Pinngortitaleriffik supports knowledge-based approaches to environmental stewardship and climate-related challenges.

SEDNA is an organization specialized in supporting scientific and cultural expeditions in polar regions and remote environments. With more than thirty years of field experience in the Arctic, SEDNA develops programs that promote collaboration between researchers and local communities, recognizing the importance of Indigenous knowledge for understanding northern ecosystems. The organization works to strengthen the connections between modern science, traditional knowledge, and the responsible exploration of polar territories.