European Polar Board Welcomes Tromsø as Home of IPY-5 Coordination Office

Arendal, Norway — Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced today that the International Coordination Office (ICO) for the Fifth International Polar Year (IPY-5) will be based in Tromsø, Norway. IPY-5 will take place in 2032-33.

The ICO will be hosted by an international consortium of four institutions spanning three continents: The Arctic University of Norway (UiT), the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI), the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), and the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH). Norway and UiT will serve as the physical host and lead financial contributor, with regional offices also established in South Korea and Chile.

Leaders of the four international organisations guiding preparations for IPY-5, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), the International Science Council (ISC), and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), welcomed the announcement..

Camilla Brekke, Director of the Norwegian Polar Institute, stated: "Knowledge from both polar regions provides a unique basis for seeing the big connections. International collaboration contributes with different perspectives and ensures that IPY-5 becomes a unifying and inclusive platform for research and knowledge development. Few places in the world bind the Earth's two polar regions together in a stronger way than Tromsø."

Dag Rune Olsen, Rector of UiT, added: "The polar regions affect far more than just the climate in the north and south. It is also about 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."

A central part of the ICO’s mandate will be to support the meaningful participation and leadership of Indigenous Peoples throughout IPY-5. A dedicated Indigenous liaison officer will be among the office’s first priority appointments. The office will also promote open science and support the participation of early-career researchers.

As a member of the IPY-5 Planning Group, the EPB plays an active role in contributing to the scientific agenda and organisational framework of this landmark initiative. The European Polar Board brings together 31 members from 22 European countries, including research institutes, funding agencies, scientific academies, ministries, and polar operators, providing a coordinated European contribution to the planning and coordination of IPY-5.

The EPB looks forward to further developing its collaboration with the ICO and continuing to work with European stakeholders towards IPY-5’s scientific and societal objectives.

For further information, visit the official press release at ipy5.info/news