UiT to lead International Polar Year secretariat

UiT The Arctic University of Norway has been appointed to lead the secretariat for the International Polar Year 2032–2033. Announced by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, the secretariat will coordinate global polar research over a ten-year period spanning before, during, and after the polar year.

The secretariat is a collaborative effort involving UiT, the Norwegian Polar Institute, the Korea Polar Research Institute in South Korea, and the Instituto Antártico Chileno in Chile. Based in Tromsø, the initiative has an estimated total budget exceeding 100 million NOK. UiT will finance 80 percent of the secretariat, with South Korean and Chilean partners contributing 10 percent each. The primary goal is to strengthen knowledge of the Arctic and Antarctic regions and unify research communities across different countries and disciplines.