Aurora Research Institute

What Aurora Research Institute does

Aurora Research Institute (ARI) is the research division of Aurora College, a post-secondary institution in the Northwest Territories (NWT) of Canada. Founded in 1964 as the Scientific Research Laboratory at the Inuvik Research Centre, it was renamed the Science Institute of the Northwest Territories (SINT) in 1984 before merging with Aurora College in 1995 to form ARI. ARI operates three regional research centres: the Western Arctic Research Centre (WARC) in Inuvik, the South Slave Research Centre (SSRC) in Fort Smith, and the North Slave Research Centre (NSRC) in Yellowknife.

ARI's core function is research facilitation and licensing in the NWT. It administers scientific research permits on behalf of the territory, provides logistics and field support to visiting researchers, and collaborates with Indigenous governments and Aurora College programming. Active research areas include the Makerspace Ecosystem, the Boreal Berry Patch Collective, environmental monitoring, climate and permafrost research, and STEM outreach. ARI also publishes the annual Compendium of Research in the Northwest Territories and maintains research data infrastructure for the region.

ARI operates as a grant-funded, not-for-profit division within Aurora College. Its income is drawn principally from external grants and contributions — in 2024 alone ARI was awarded or contributed to over $3.4 million in grants, including a $1.5 million College and Community Innovation (CCI) Mobilize grant, ~$962,900 from the Research Support Fund, $602,500 from the Suncor Energy Foundation, and $347,683 from NSERC. ARI employs approximately 25 staff and serves visiting researchers, Indigenous communities, government agencies, and educational institutions across the NWT.

Name

Aurora Research Institute

Legal name

Aurora Research Institute | Aurora College

Website

https://nwtresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aurora Research Institute is the research division of Aurora College in Canada's Northwest Territories, operating three regional centres to license, facilitate, and support scientific research across the NWT, serving visiting researchers, Indigenous communities, and government partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Major Extension & Outreach Missions (EDAHAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

STEM-Focused Public Research Universities (EDAHAAAE)

Keywords

• Research facilitation
• Logistical support
• STEM outreach
• Northern research
• Community engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Inuvik

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Services and Facilitation: ARI facilitates and conducts research in the Northwest Territories, advancing the territory's research capacity through discovery, outreach, and education. As a division of Aurora College, it provides logistical support including laboratory facilities, office space, storage, accommodation, and equipment rentals to visiting researchers on a fee-for-service basis.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Aurora Research Institute is the research division of Aurora College that provides research facilitation, field logistical support, and STEM outreach for scientists, governments, Indigenous communities, and academic partners conducting work across the Northwest Territories. It operates three regional research centres that serve as hubs for accessing northern field sites, coordinating permits and community engagement, and delivering science-education programs in remote communities.

Product overview

Aurora Research Institute (ARI) is the research division of Aurora College, operating as a multi-service research organization rather than a product company. The core offering is research facilitation and conduct across the Northwest Territories, delivered through three regional research centres (Western Arctic Research Centre in Inuvik, South Slave Research Centre in Fort Smith, and North Slave Research Centre in Yellowknife). These centres provide logistical support including laboratory facilities, office space, storage, accommodation, and equipment rentals. Supporting services include research ethics oversight, grants programs (Research Assistant Program and Research Fellowship Program), and research data management training. ARI also operates youth STEM outreach programs and community initiatives including the Makerspace Ecosystem Project and Thebacha Boreal Berry Patch Collective. The institute publishes the Xàgots'eèhk'ǫ̀ Journal focused on decolonizing knowledge.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Facilitation Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 8,500 students reached through 450 STEM outreach events in the past year, with a teacher training program launched.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hotıì ts'eedacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-recipient of $962,900 Research Support Fund award alongside Aurora College and Institute of Circumpolar Health Research for enhancing research infrastructure and community engagement in Northern Canada.
• Institute of Circumpolar Health Research (ICHR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-recipient of $962,900 Research Support Fund award alongside Aurora College and Hotıì ts'eeda for enhancing research infrastructure and community engagement in Northern Canada.
• Wilfrid Laurier UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 201010-year Partnership Agreement signed with GNWT in 2010, with researchers from Wilfrid Laurier presenting at ARI facilities on topics related to the Mackenzie Delta region and northern research.
• Indigenous Governments (Dene, Inuvialuit, Métis, Cree)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARI works in partnership with local Indigenous governments to build capacity to carry out research locally, integrating Indigenous and local knowledge in research processes. ARI acknowledges traditional territories of Dene, Inuvialuit, Métis and Cree peoples of the NWT.
• Council of Canadian AcademiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Garfield Giff, Research Chair for Climate Change Adaptation at Aurora College, appointed to the Council of Canadian Academies' expert panel on dual-use research of concern, developing strategies to manage DURC while promoting open science in Canada.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Centre for Northern Studies (Université Laval): Laval-based research centre coordinating northern and circumpolar research across Quebec and the broader Canadian North. Comparable as a university-affiliated hub for northern field research, though much larger and more academic.
• Polar Knowledge Canada: Federal Canadian agency operating the Canadian High Arctic Research Station and funding northern science. A broader incumbent funder/operator in the same northern-research space, but with national rather than territorial scope.
• Aurora College: Parent institution of ARI and a public college offering programs across the NWT. Comparable as the broader post-secondary body whose mandate includes, but extends well beyond, research facilitation.

Emerging players

• Wilfrid Laurier University: Holds a 10-year partnership with GNWT signed in 2010 with active northern research activity through ARI's facilities. Comparable as a southern Canadian university that channels researchers into ARI's logistical support network.

Others

• Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor): Federal agency that funds economic development and infrastructure across Canada's three territories. Comparable as an ecosystem-level funder/partner whose mandates overlap with ARI's applied research and community development work in the NWT.
• Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies (ACUNS): National membership body coordinating northern research across Canadian universities and institutes. Comparable as an ecosystem connector in the same northern-research constituency ARI operates in, though not a direct service competitor.

Direct peers

• Nunavut Research Institute: Mandated research facilitation and licensing body for Nunavut, operating a similar hub-and-spoke model of supporting visiting researchers with logistics, permits, and community engagement in a remote Canadian territory. Directly comparable in function to ARI's role in the NWT.
• Institute of Circumpolar Health Research: Yellowknife-based research institute focused on circumpolar health, currently a co-recipient with ARI of the $962,900 RSF award. Comparable as a small, NWT-embedded research facilitation body serving similar communities.
• Hotıì ts'eeda: NWT-specific Indigenous health research support unit co-funded alongside ARI through the Research Support Fund. Operates in the same territory, serves overlapping Indigenous communities, and is a current ARI co-recipient on major federal grants.
• Yukon University Research Centre: Research arm of Yukon University that facilitates northern research and provides logistical and laboratory support to visiting scientists in the Yukon. Closely parallels ARI's three-centre model, government affiliation, and STEM outreach mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aurora-research-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Aurora Research Institute