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  • Science conducted in and around polar and high-altitude regions is critical to understanding the evolution of the Earth’s climate.
  • Due to the complex logistics, challenging access and difficult safety conditions in these extreme environments, the Swiss polar community requires specific competencies and dedicated support.
  • The Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) offers tailored support to scientists based in Switzerland who work in polar regions and remote high-altitude environments.

NEWS

OPEN CALLS

Photo credits: © Aurélie Hendrick, all rights reserved / © Jean-Vincent Simonet, all rights reserved

Polar Access Fund

Apply by 19 January 2024, 12:00 (noon, Swiss time)

The Polar Access Fund should enable young researchers to undertake a (first) field trip to a polar region or a remote high-altitude area. The research conducted during the field trip must be inserted into an existing overarching project (e.g. to enlarge its scope or for comparisons) and be related to the issue of climate change.


PolARTS

Apply by 31 January 2024, 5:00 pm (Swiss time)

PolARTS is a joint initiative by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and the Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) to encourage exchange and to foster collaboration between art and science. The PolARTS initiative opens a space for new collaborative and explorative practices and supports the processes of transdisciplinary cooperation.

Explore all SPI funded projects

Every year the Swiss Polar Institute awards competitive grants to scientific projects in the Arctic, Antarctic and remote high-altitude regions. This section offers an overview of the scientific projects supported by the Swiss Polar Institute in polar and high-altitude regions.

SHOW PROJECTS

WHAT WE DO

Funding

Funding for field access, logistics and technology

Collaboration

International Collaboration and Agreements

Events

Information events, scientific workshops and conferences

Outreach

swiss polar class educational programme

Expeditions

Expeditions organised by the SPI

Courses

Courses and support measures for fieldwork

Training

ACCESS TO FIELD AND SUMMER SCHOOLS

Featured Images

GreenFjord Flagship Initiative: Installation of the time-lapse camera that takes hourly pictures of Qajuuttap Sermia glacier in Greenland
© Dominik Gräff, all rights reserved
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SPI Exploratory Grant: Fieldwork on vegetation patterns above Zackenberg Research Station in Greenland
© Christophe Randin, all rights reserved
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Polar Access Fund: Artificial ice reservoir (ice stupa) built to enhance water management in Ladakh
© Suryanarayanan Balasubramanian, all rights reserved
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SPI Technogrant: Prototype for a low-cost and robust electrical resistivity tomography monitoring system for remote permafrost environments
© Christian Hauck, all rights reserved
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Polar Access Fund: Challenging access to fieldwork site on a debris-covered glacier in the Garhwal mountain range in northern India
© Marin Kneib, all rights reserved
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Field & Summer School: International Geochronology Summer School, Switzerland
© Giovanna Ceppi, all rights reserved
Image Gallery