We’re proud to welcome the CRAFT Research Group at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, to the cluster!

UiT is located in Tromsø city north of the Arctic Circle, making it the world’s northernmost university. CRAFT is part of the Norwegian College of Fisheries Science at UiT and leads research activities integrating various disciplinary perspectives and academic/non-academic knowledge.

– We aim to provide science, solutions, and advice for societal, industrial, and political adaptation to complex future challenges in the marine and coastal areas. The keywords of the group are critical futures thinking, inter-/transdisciplinarity, and new technologies and competences in the Blue Sector, says Melania Borit, associate professor and Leader of the CRAFT Research Group.

CRAFT is currently working with ideas around the use of autonomous technologies in fishing, and coordinates the AFO-JIGG project, funded by the Research Council of Norway. One of the project’s objectives is to critically evaluate socio-economic and cultural implications of changes towards semi-autonomous fishing to enable preparation for possible failures prior to implementation.

– Through the project, we explore the use of autonomous technologies in the Norwegian small-scale fishing fleet. As such, we find the Ocean Autonomy Cluster very relevant for our research, says Borit.

Welcome to the cluster, CRAFT!