Swiss Polar Institute – Supporting Swiss polar science

Tara Polar Station begins its drift after following in the wake of the Xue Long 2, a Chinese oceanographic icebreaker, that enabled it to reach its target of 82°24’N 155°03’E ©Sébastien Devrient – Tara Ocean Foundation

On Wednesday 9 September 2026, moored to an ice floe, the Tara Polaris I expedition started its several-month drift deliberately trapped in ice. The scientific expedition is the first of ten expeditions aboard the Tara Polar Station aiming to study the Central Arctic Ocean, a sentinel of global climate changes. […]

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SPI Exploratory Grants & SPI Technogrants – 2026 Calls for proposals are open

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SPI Exploratory Grants & SPI Technogrants – 2026 Calls for proposals are open

We are pleased to announce that the calls for proposals for the SPI Exploratory Grants and SPI Technogrants are open! The submission deadline is 15 October 2025, 12:00 (noon, Swiss time). The SPI Exploratory Grants support Swiss-based scientists active in polar regions (including remote high-altitude regions such as the Andes and the Himalayas) by allowing them to launch […]

©Martin Fortier, ArcticNet, Amundsen Science

CASCADES Expedition sets sail to investigate the impacts of Greenland glacier melt on the Arctic and beyond

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CASCADES Expedition sets sail to investigate the impacts of Greenland glacier melt on the Arctic and beyond

PRESS RELEASE – Sion / Brest / Québec City, 6 August 2026 – Today, the CASCADES Expedition leaves Québec City to board the Canadian research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen for its first leg in Baffin Bay and along the west coast of Greenland. The international expedition federates over 50 researchers from […]

Mertz on the ice cliff (c) Frank Hurley, 1912 /Wikimedia - Public Domain, State Library of South Wales

Mertz Fellowship 2026 – the call is now open

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Mertz Fellowship 2026 – the call is now open

The Mertz Fellowship – a partnership between the Embassy of Switzerland in Australia, Swissnex, Swiss Polar Institute, and the Antarctic Science Foundation – supports joint projects and scientific networking between Swiss and Australian higher education and research institutions. This programme for early-career researchers focuses on fostering cutting-edge research and strengthening […]

© 2026 Fondation Tara Océan / François Dourlens, all rights reserved

ARKTIS Project sets sail aboard the Tara Polar Station

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ARKTIS Project sets sail aboard the Tara Polar Station

Tara Polar Station departed Lorient, France, for the Arctic on 19 July. Bringing together more than 30 research institutes from 12 countries, the expedition will support a broad range of international scientific programmes, including the Swiss-led ARKTIS project. After a few technical stops, last one being in Kirkenes, Norway, Tara […]

PolARTS: Selected tandems 2026

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PolARTS: Selected tandems 2026

PolARTS offers artists from Switzerland in any discipline supported by Pro Helvetia and scientists the opportunity to collaborate on joint projects and to take part in field trips to a polar region. Launched in 2022, the programme runs on a biennial basis, creating space for new collaborative and explorative practices […]