Chair: C Krieger
Members: N Biebow, H Burgess, M Vancauwenberghe, V Vitale

European research in the Arctic and Antarctic is notable for its excellence, diversity and societal relevance, achieved through extensive collaboration between disciplines, institutes and countries. Noting this, the EPB and its Members endeavour to develop collaborative initiatives within Europe and around the world, for the benefit of polar research. The EPB’s activities in this area are organised and implemented by the Action Group on International Cooperation.

Polar Research in Russia - Background Paper

Prepared by Nina Lavrenteva, University of Liège, for the EPB Action Group on International Cooperation.

Research development in the Arctic and Antarctic play an important role in Russian policymaking. Although, due to its size and bureaucratic complexity, there are unique challenges in regulating and funding polar research in Russia, with its scientific networks and facilities widely covering various domains related to the Arctic and Antarctic. Remoteness of the polar regions, necessity for continuous improvement of the polar research stations and other research facilities, as well as climate change and other challenges trigger the interest in a greater scientific cooperation both within Russia and internationally.

This document was prepared for the European Polar Board’s Action Group on International Cooperation as a background paper with the aim to map Russian polar research actors and infrastructure and to help EPB and its Members, as well as general public, navigate the country’s Arctic and Antarctic scientific landscape. It provides an overview of Russian policies and legal framework in the area of the Arctic and Antarctic research, its stakeholders and infrastructure, international cooperation in the polar regions, as well as funding.

The important part of this background report is its glossary. It is dedicated to recording major actors in Russian policymaking in the polar regions, academic institutions, and their fleet. The glossary is not exhaustive, but it provides a good outline of the actors involved and may be consulted separately from the main document. Notably, it includes the links and basic information on all the mentioned actors.

All the information used in this paper was found in the publicly available sources. Some chapters include information on representatives of governmental bodies or research institutions. This information reflects the situation as of October 2021 and requires regular updates.

To view the report, click here.

Towards greater collaboration in polar research (Arctic Science Summit Week 2019 panel session)

The European Polar Board (EPB) convened a panel discussion session at the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2019 in Arkhangelsk, Russia. The session, titled 'Towards greater collaboration in polar research' was held at the Northern (Arctic) Federal University.

A report from the session is available here.

EPB/EU-PolarNet session at ATCM XLII

Jointly with EU-PolarNet, the EPB held a side event at the 42nd Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Prague, titled “Connecting European Polar Research with Antarctic Policymakers.” The event was very well attended and promoted interest and dicussions between the EPB and partners from other regions around the world.

EPB/EU-PolarNet side event photo1, photo2

EPB and RAPAL

During ATCM XLII the EPB met with partners from Latin American countries to discuss the work of the EPB and its Members of relevance. A report from this meeting is available here.

Following this meeting, the EPB Executive Secretary presented an introduction to the EPB and an overview of its work at the Meeting of Administrators of Latin American Antarctic Programs (RAPAL) in October 2019. Slides from this presentation are available here.

EPB and AFoPS

A joint information sharing workshop on polar research and infrastructure between the EPB and AFoPS (Asian Forum of Polar Sciences) Members took place on 20th October 2022 during the YPASM (Sultan Mizan Antarctic Research Foundation) symposium in conjunction with its 10th Anniversary in Kuala Lumpur. This symposium was held back-to-back with the Annual General Meeting of AFoPS 2022 of which Malaysia is the Chair for 2021-2022. Report from the meeting is available here.