History of the European Polar Board

The European Polar Board (EPB) was established by the European Science Foundation (ESF) in 1995, as part of the European Marine and Polar Sciences Board (EMaPS). In 1999, EMaPS was dissolved and the separate EPB and European Marine Board (EMB) were retained independently within ESF.

During its first two decades, the EPB’s Membership consisted of European national governments operating polar research programmes, along with the Russia Federation as a permanent observer.

Throughout its history, the EPB has worked to develop and strengthen links and cooperation between its Members, and across the entire European polar research community. The EPB played key roles in major international programmes and projects, such as EPICA, LOIRA, SCICEX and the Nansen Arctic Drilling Programme, that brought scientists together from across Europe. During this period, the EPB also worked extensively to foster and develop collaborative international partnerships, such as with the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). Many of the EPB’s partnerships with other organisations are formalised with memoranda of understanding.

The European Polar Board became independent of the European Science Foundation (ESF) in January 2015, marking the beginning of a new chapter in its history. Since then, the EPB has continued to represent and advance European polar research, both within Europe and on the international stage.

This new phase has brought some changes. For example, membership is now based on organisations rather than national governments, yet the EPB’s core Vision and Mission remain unchanged.