A billion for the 'national team' of polar research

– We commit to increasing efforts on polar research with one billion Norwegian kroner over the next ten years starting from 2026, announced Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre at a press conference at UiT The Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø on Tuesday, August 26.

18 scientific institutions support the large research project, the Arctic Ocean 2050, including NORCE.

– It is excellent that the government is allocating a billion to the Arctic Ocean 2050, and that all research actors with expertise in this area will cooperate nationally. The Arctic Ocean is important for Norway. Research is important for the Arctic Ocean, says CEO Camilla Stoltenberg of NORCE.

– This is fantastic news! NORCE has been one of the central institutions in this initiative, having led the GoNorth project, which was one of the two projects that joined forces last year to put this important initiative in motion, says climate researcher at NORCE, Priscilla Mooney.

Mooney is a member of the writing group for ‘Arctic Ocean 2050’. This means she has contributed to developing the draft research plan for the initiative.

Uniting the leading polar researchers

In a few decades, the ice in the Arctic Ocean will be gone for many months of the year, for the first time in modern human history. What will the consequences be? The project unites a national team of Norway's foremost polar researchers from 18 institutions across the country. It will encompass a wide scope, including security, geopolitics, maritime law, environment, climate, energy, and more.

– The Arctic Ocean is changing rapidly, creating new knowledge needs for society. This is a research challenge that demands a broad set of competencies across different research areas – a challenge that is well suited to NORCE, says Mooney.

The Arctic Ocean 2050 is planned as an interdisciplinary ten-year project from 2026 to 2036. The collaborators have asked the government to allocate 100 million Norwegian kroner to the project in each of the state budgets during these years. Today, they received this commitment from the government.

– It will be a historic effort. When the Arctic Ocean shifts from white to blue, it's a large, open box that opens. We know some things, but the most important is what we do not know. And we must find out, said Gahr Støre, after the spontaneous applause at the Norwegian College of Fishery Science at UiT had settled.

Norway takes leadership

– We are thrilled that the government has taken this seriously and that we will now stand united in preparing Norway for what is coming, says Jørgen Berge from UiT The Arctic University of Norway, who is chairman of the Arctic Ocean 2050.

– In a few decades, we risk an ice-free Arctic Ocean. The world and Norway must be prepared. Through Arctic Ocean 2050, Norway takes global leadership. We are a national team of skilled professionals who will ensure that the world obtains essential knowledge about the consequences of the melting Arctic Ocean – the world's freezer, says Berge.

The vice-chairman of the board, Tore Furevik, also believes this was the correct prioritization by the government.

– We are very pleased that the government supports Arctic Ocean 2050, and we look forward to getting started. We expect the project to be an international beacon leading up to the International Polar Year 2032/2033, says Furevik, who is the director of the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center (NERSC).