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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

UPCOMING EVENT

Swiss Polar Class Festival, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

The first edition of the Swiss Polar Class Festival will take place in Sion (VS) on 2 December.

Destined to all who are curious about polar regions, the festival features activities for all ages:

Treasure hunt – Expedition game – Science exhibition – Creative workshops – Drawing workshop – Student area – Screenings of polar films – Arctic art exhibition – Polar library – Icy Cordial Bar – Tales from the cold (in French only) – Live conference from Antarctica (in French only)

The event is organised by Swiss Polar Institute’s outreach programme which mission is to raise public awareness on the importance of scientific research and polar and high-altitude regions in understanding climate change. The various content of the festival will be made available in French and German.

Useful information:

We look forward to seeing you there!

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

Health and Safety

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
Image Gallery
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