For six weeks in August and September, the icebreaker Oden was transformed into a floating university in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. On board, 21 doctoral students from seven countries gathered for a research school organised by the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat.
As the world’s eyes turned to the Arctic — and to opening speaker HRH The Crown Princess — during Arctic Day at Expo 2025 in Osaka, the Nordic countries showcased how research, innovation and cooperation can help address the challenges and opportunities brought by climate change and technological development.
In the budget bill for 2026 (Prop. 2025/26:1), the government proposes several investments that strengthen Swedish polar research.
The Swedish Research Council has announced a new call for a doctoral programme grant in polar research. The aim is to strengthen Sweden’s competence in the field, promote national and international collaboration, and secure the long-term supply of highly qualified researchers.
In June 2025, a team from the University of Leicester and the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat installed new instruments at the ICOS station in Abisko–Stordalen.
From 11 to 19 August, Julia Muchowski at the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat will serve as ECR Programme Coordinator aboard the research vessel R/V Skagerak during a nine-day research expedition to Greenland.
When Oden sets out into the Arctic Ocean from 9 August to 19 September for the Canada-Sweden Arctic Ocean 2025 expedition, an extensive Early Career Scientist program will be at the centre.
Mobilisation for the Canada–Sweden Arctic Ocean 2025 expedition is underway in the port of Helsingborg, where the icebreaker Oden is being prepared and outfitted for the expedition.
The Swedish government has decided to designate polar research as one of eight new Strategic Research Areas, with the goal of strengthening Sweden’s long-term position as a leading polar research nation.
On 17 June, high-level representatives from Sweden, the EU and the research community gathered aboard the icebreaker Oden in the port of Helsingborg to discuss the growing geopolitical importance of the Arctic — and how research, strategic presence and projects such as the Arctic submarine cable Polar Connect can strengthen Europe’s climate knowledge, security and digital competitiveness.
The Swedish Polar Research Secretariat and the University of Gothenburg have signed a joint declaration of intent regarding the transfer of the Kristineberg Marine Research Station to the Secretariat’s operations.
Applications for SWERVE-funded ship time in 2026 are now open! This call applies to the vessels KBV 181, Electra, Svea, Ocean Surveyor and Skagerak. SWERVE have extended the deadline for Ship Time Application to the 11th of August.
For over a hundred years, the Abisko Scientific Research Station (ANS) of the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat has collaborated with the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) to collect hydrological data in the Abisko area.
The GEOEO North of Greenland 2024 expedition with the icebreaker Oden was a great success that exceeded the scientists' expectations. Despite extreme ice conditions, researchers successfully collected extensive data from some of the world's most inaccessible ocean areas.
A field course was held in Abisko on March 24–28 for a total of 21 participants ahead of the upcoming Antarctic expedition iQ2300. The expedition aims to study how melting ice sheets in East Antarctica may affect sea levels in the future.
Cristina Bernárdez, teacher at Gullmarsgymnasiet in Lysekil, sees the Canada-Sweden Arctic Ocean 2025 expedition as an opportunity to give students unique insights into the Arctic's sensitive ecosystem. She was selected for a teaching position aboard the icebreaker Oden, following a call from the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat in early 2025.
