UiT Seeks to Become the Hub for the Next International Polar Year

The fifth International Polar Year (IPY) 2032-2033 will coordinate and strengthen polar research in the face of pressing global challenges, with a particular focus on the impacts of climate change in the Arctic and Antarctic.

UiT the Arctic University of Norway has applied to host the international secretariat that will coordinate the research efforts related to the Polar Year.

"Norway is a leading polar research nation and it is very positive that UiT is taking leadership in the planning of the upcoming International Polar Year. This research is crucial for our security, says Norway's Minister of Research and Higher Education Sigrun Aasland (Labor) in a press release.

"Well equipped"

More specifically, the application has been submitted by UiT as leader of an international consortium that includes the Norwegian Polar Institute, the Korea Polar Research Institute in South Korea, and the Instituto Antártico Chileno in Chile.

The application has also received support from 20 international institutions, including in Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, India, and China. 

If the application is successful, Tromsø in Northern Norway will become the main base for the secretariat, which will also have nodes in South Korea and Chile. 

A decision on who will host the secretariat is expected in July.

"Over many decades, Norway has built strong academic communities and international collaborations in polar research. With the expertise we have gathered in Tromsø and across the country, we believe Norway is well equipped to take responsibility for coordinating the next IPY," says Jørgen Berge, Prorector for Research and Innovation at UiT.

Requires close cooperation

The objective of the Polar Year is to provide the world with increased knowledge about the significance of the polar regions, both in terms of climate, society, and geopolitics.

“The polar regions influence far more than just the local climate in the north and south. It also concerns global societal changes, geopolitics, resource management, and how people live and work in these areas. The ambition is to strengthen the knowledge base across many disciplines,” says Berge and continues:

“To succeed with a project of this scale, close collaboration between research communities and nations is essential. The role of the secretariat will be to ensure that activities are coordinated and that knowledge, data, and resources are utilized as effectively as possible."

The secretariat will be operational throughout the planning and implementation period and its work will continue even after the polar year has ended.

If the application is approved, the secretariat in Tromsø will be established in January 2027. The project has an estimated total budget of over NOK 100 million.