Major Grant awarded for research project on reciprocity in science

Hrefna Dögg Gunnarsdóttir, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Iceland, has been awarded a grant of nearly three million US dollars—equivalent to over ISK 360 million—by the international research fund Wellcome Trust. The grant will support the research project Fostering Reciprocity in Environmental DNA science through Yielded stewardship, Just benefit, and Accountability (FREYJA). FREYJA aims to strengthen reciprocity in scientific research, including equitable benefit-sharing from utilising research findings and data processing in environmental genomics. Particular emphasis is placed on collaboration between scientists and Indigenous communities.

Environmental genomics involves collecting modern, or ancient, genetic material from organisms via sources such as soil, water, and air, rather than directly from the organisms themselves. Environmental genomic science is expected to revolutionise food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic production. Thus, this method has the potential to greatly contribute to the well-being of both the planet and humanity. A foundational principle of FREYJA is that such transformative potential must be approached reciprocally, particularly concerning communities that govern the territories where research is conducted. FREYJA aims to explore how to ensure such reciprocity, including fair benefit-sharing arising from data processing and the utilisation of scientific findings, for example, in cases where indigenous peoples grant access to land.

Experienced Research Team

Hrefna Dögg Gunnarsdóttir serves as Principal Investigator and grant recipient. Her recent research has focused on legal requirements for health-related scientific research, including reciprocity in relationship to health data. She also contributed to the preparatory work and advisory board of the Ancient Environmental Genomics Initiative for Sustainability (AEGIS), a project in ancient environmental genomics at the University of Copenhagen. In this role, she has addressed the legal challenges posed by emerging scientific methodologies.

FREYJA is a two-year project comprising four working groups in the fields of law, collaborative research and community engagement, knowledge exchange, and capacity building. Hrefna leads the legal working group, while the remaining three are headed by experts based in different parts of the world:

• Sonia Haoa Cardinali, an independent archaeologist affiliated with the Mata Ki Te Rangi research institute on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), has researched the island for over 50 years. Sonia serves as scientific advisor to the Rapa Nui Council of Elders and leads FREYJA’s working group on Indigenous knowledge exchange.
• Maui Hudson, academic at the University of Waikato, New Zealand, and Director of the Ta Kotahi research institute, has led numerous studies involving active Indigenous participation in discussions on science, ethics, genetics, and technology. Maui heads FREYJA’s working group on collaborative research and community engagement.
• Janet Jull, Canada Research Chair in Accessibility and Person-Centred Care at Carleton University, works in partnerships with many groups including with Indigenous people and communities. Dr. Jull investigates how to conduct collaborative research that supports the priorities and participation of the people the research is meant to benefit.Janet leads FREYJA’s working group on capacity development.

In addition, the FREYJA research team will work closely with Indigenous communities in both Rapa Nui and Canada, as well as with researchers and the advisory board of the AEGIS project at the University of Copenhagen.

Diverse research methods and outputs

The project’s methodology spans legal analysis and field-based interviews grounded in Indigenous knowledge, values, and traditions. Then, the basic source work for FREYJA will be further strengthened by artificial intelligence models developed in collaboration with Hafsteinn Einarsson, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Iceland and the forthcoming AI Centre at the University.

FREYJA’s outputs will include peer-reviewed academic publications to support further research in this emerging field, practical frameworks for reciprocity in scientific research co-developed with Indigenous communities and researchers, and the formulation of guidelines and regulatory models to promote equity in benefit-sharing from the application of scientific findings.

A prestigious recognition of research excellence

“In FREYJA, we are for the first time integrating legal analysis of reciprocity in scientific research with socio-cultural perspectives and direct training and testing by researchers themselves. While environmental genomic science is advancing rapidly, the international community has yet to respond with appropriate regulatory frameworks for reciprocity and benefit-sharing. FREYJA’s research objectives are thus timely and designed to address pressing and real-world challenges. We anticipate that, through close collaboration with Indigenous communities and environmental genomics researchers, FREYJA’s outcomes will become a flagship for future research in this field; promoting greater equity and setting new standards for the relationship between science and society, particularly in the context of applied research,” says Hrefna Dögg Gunnarsdóttir.

When asked, she emphasised that the Wellcome Trust grant is pivotal for both the financial and academic dimensions of the project. “FREYJA places strong emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration and direct participation by both Indigenous communities and researchers, which would not have been possible without this generous support from the Wellcome Trust. It is also a significant recognition of the quality and importance of the research and the scholarly contribution of the research team to receive such a substantial grant from a respected international fund. For me, as author and Principal Investigator of FREYJA, and for the team behind the project, the grant also represents professional recognition that strengthens the standing of the Faculty of Law and the University of Iceland on the global stage,” says Hrefna.