Grant: Operating Grant:Yukon Network Environments for Indigenous Health Research Centre

Through extensive community-based engagements, knowledge mobilization activities, and partnership building, enabled by the CIHR NEIHR Development Grant, the Yukon NEIHR Centre (Y-NEIHR) has already become embedded within Yukon First Nations, territorial, national, and international communities. Building upon this, Y-NEIHR will operationalize itself as a unique Yukon-based entity dedicated to enhancing and resourcing Yukon First Nation-led health research. Grounded in Dashäw, as taught through Southern Tutchone Elder Gùdia, the Y-NEIHR supports Indigenous-led and community-based research that is accountable to communities and oriented toward long-term holistic and culturally-grounded wellbeing. Knowledge generation and application for the purpose of planning, organisation and leadership have always been essential parts of Yukon First Nations governance, survival, knowledge transmission, and care, and they remain foundational to how health and wellbeing are understood and sustained today. First Nations have long asserted authority over research and have led impactful health research initiatives, yet the absence of sustained, Yukon First Nations-led research resourcing and support infrastructure has resulted in limited capacity and limited opportunities to scale and connect this work across the territory. Y-NEIHR responds directly to this context by providing the governance, coordination, and long-term investment required to support a cohesive Yukon First Nations-led health research ecosystem. In advancing this work, Y-NEIHR is guided by Share-Care-Respect as governance in practice: sharing knowledge and benefits, caring through ongoing relational accountability, and respecting Yukon First Nations authority to guide, review, and determine research conducted with their people, lands, and data.