News for Polar Researchers in Sweden

Help shape the future of Antarctic research collaboration – Antarctica InSync

Antarctica InSync is an international initiative that brings together researchers to strengthen science on Antarctica and on climate change. Sweden is an active partner. The second InSync scientific webinar is coming up and provides an opportunity to hear the latest updates and actively contribute in breakout groups that will shape future planning and work and the formulations of white papers.

Dates & times:

• 9 September, 09:00–10:30 Swedish time
• 10 September, 17:00–19:30 Swedish time

Choose the session that best fits your time zone. More info at the Antarctica InSync webpage.

If there is interest within the Swedish research community, a national coordinating workshop may be planned and supported by the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat. Please email ulf.jonsell@polar.se to register your interest after attending the international seminar.

Doctoral programme grant within polar research

The purpose of the grant is to increase competence in polar research and improve national and international collaboration by contributing to third-cycle higher education activities. Graduate schools contribute to and strengthen the future supply of competent researchers in the field. The initiative is based on a government assignment to ensure the growth of excellent researchers and further strengthen Sweden’s international impact within polar research.

About the call

Support form: Research environment and collaboration support

Grant form: Doctoral programme

Focus: Polar research (all disciplines included)

Grant period: Four years, starting January 2026

Grant amount: SEK 1–10 million per year. Grants may be used to cover costs related to the graduate school, such as coordination (including salary for the coordinator), doctoral student salaries, and courses. The grant may not be used to cover research expenses or scholarships.

Eligible applicants: Swedish higher education institutions with degree-awarding powers at doctoral level. Applications must include at least one additional Swedish HEI, with the possibility of international partners. There is no limit to the number of applications a single HEI may submit or participate in.

Application period: 27 August – 30 September 2025, with funding decisions expected in early December 2025.

Polar research - strategic research area

The purpose of the initiative is to increase the profiling of Swedish research to ensure continued competitiveness at the international level. The research funded through this initiative must be of the highest international quality.

About the call

Subject areas: Humanities and Social Sciences, Clinical Therapy Research, Artistic Research, Medicine and Health, Natural and Engineering Sciences, Educational Sciences

Focus/Strategic research areas:

• Health, life sciences, and artificial intelligence
• Quantum technologies
• Polar research
• Climate-related research
• Crisis preparedness and civil defense
• Practice-oriented professional research on crime
• Excellence in school
• Research on advanced materials

Applicant: A Swedish higher education institution (HEI). Each HEI can only be the applicant for one application per strategic research area. A HEI may participate in one or several applications within the same or different strategic research areas. A research leader for the strategic area at the HEI that is the applicant must be invited to be the project leader for the application.

Participating researchers: At least 2 and up to 9 other researchers from the applicant or participating HEI must be invited to participate in the application. They must be research leaders who are central to the application and to the development of the strategic research area. Participating researchers from HEIs other than the applicant must be contact persons and representatives for the participating HEI.

Budgetary framework: SEK 200 million for 2027 and SEK 400 million for 2028. It is expected that 1–3 applications per strategic research area will be recommended for funding. The minimum budget that may be applied for is 1/3 of the amount for the strategic research area.

Application period: 3 September 2025 (14.00) – 4 November 2025 (14.00)

Grant for recruiting international visiting researchers to Sweden

The purpose of the grant is to give higher education institutions and other research organisations the opportunity to develop and strengthen a research field by recruiting, in the near future, a prominent researcher with current employment and research activities outside Europe. The grant covers expenses for the recruitment and for salary for employment in Sweden during a limited period.

About the call

Subject area: Humanities and Social Sciences, Clinical Therapy Research, Artistic Research, Medicine and Health, Natural and Engineering Sciences, Educational Sciences

Support form: Research environment and collaboration support

Grant form: Guest researcher

Focus: International recruitment

Applicant: Only organisations may apply. One representative of the host organisation shall be invited to be the project leader for the application.

Participating researchers: No other researchers may be invited to join the application.

Grant period: 12 months

Grant amount: SEK 2 million

Start of grant period: No earlier than 1 June 2025 and no later than 1 March 2026

Application period: Rolling, starting on 15 April 2025 (14.00) to 1 December 2025 (14.00).

Publication of grant award: Rolling, following review and decision.

12th SCAR Open Science Conference

The 12th SCAR Open Science Conference and meetings will be held in Oslo, Norway, from 8–16 August 2026, hosted by the Norwegian Polar Institute. The conference will feature an interdisciplinary programme that includes plenary lectures, parallel sessions, mini-symposia, workshops, panel discussions, posters, and social activities.

Please note that SCAR is currently only accepting proposals for weekend workshops and satellite events. The call for abstracts is expected to open later this year.

Call for ASSW 2026 community meetings and workshops

The Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2026 community meetings and workshops will be held 25–29 March 2026 in Aarhus, Denmark. This part of ASSW 2026 includes meetings, workshops and other events of several Arctic organisations and projects. As ASSW 2026 will be organised as a hybrid conference, opportunities for on-site and online meetings will be offered during the conference.

The application deadline is 30 September 2025. A first draft programme will be made available in November 2025.

Forum for the Arctic and Antarctic
10–11 November, Stockholm

Welcome to the second Forum for the Arctic and Antarctic. The forum aims to shape agendas for Arctic and Antarctic research in Sweden through dialogue between academia, government agencies, and other stakeholders. The overarching theme is Raising the ambition of Swedish Polar Research. The programme will include highlights of ongoing and emerging Arctic and Antarctic research, and panels in which researchers, authorities and actors from civil society discuss future needs and avenues for polar research in Sweden. The full program will be available next week.

Organised by: Stockholm University, Luleå University of Technology, Arctic Centre at Umeå University and the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat.

Polar Early Career Conference
22–23 September, Umeå

Welcome to APECS (Association of Polar Early Career Scientists) Sweden Conference 2025, where we focus on the future of Arctic Sustainability Research. This is where early career researchers from all disciplines come together to discuss challenges and opportunities of Arctic research in relation to sustainability and indigenous perspectives.

Application for Emerging Leaders 2026

Emerging Leaders is a program for young Arctic professionals to engage in discussions about the future of the Arctic. This year's theme is Arctic Adaptation. We ask young professionals: how can Arctic communities, businesses and mindsets adapt effectively and how do we prioritize?

Since 2012, Emerging Leaders has been an early-career Arctic mentoring program for leaders aged18 to 35. The program brings together 30 young leaders from the academic, business, public and NGO sectors to learn about the Arctic in a thrilling journey through Northern Norway.

The program includes a 7-day trip through the Norwegian High North landscape. Along the way, the participants meet with local representatives of different sectors and engage in timely discussions of current visions, trends and challenges in the Arctic.

Deadline: 3 October 2025.

IASC photo call 2025

As you may know, the IASC Secretariat runs an Open Photo Call for IASC publications (if not, please sign up for the IASC mailing list here). This year, in addition to the IASC Calendar and IASC Bulletin, selected photos will also be published in the ICARP IV Final Report.

IASC is particularly looking for images of scientists in the field, but also welcomes other photos that capture all areas of Arctic science — including everyday life, animals, landscapes, and more.

Submission deadline: 20 September 2025

For print, images should be at least 3500 x 2500 pixels.

Please include with your photos:

• A short description (what we see, location, year if relevant, and background on the project/research);

• Name of photographer / Affiliation;

• Contact information, email and postal address (the latter is needed to send a hard copy of the publication if one of your photos is used).

You can upload your pictures and associated information [here] and read the full Open Photo Call [here]

Vessel availability – James Cook and Discovery

In the UK, the research vessels James Cook and/or Discovery are available from October 2026 to April 2027. This is following a delay to science grants being awarded. They can operate globally, the current programme being largely in the Atlantic sector. Relocation is possible.

If you or another organisation you know are seeking a research vessel and equipment (CTD, ROV, AUV, seismic equipment etc.), please contact Dr Eleanor (Ella) Darlington, Head of Marine Facilities Programmes, National Oceanography Centre at eledar@noc.ac.uk