The 3rd call for proposals for the Mertz Fellowship is now open. Launched in 2022, the programme aims to promote collaboration and networking between Swiss and Australian polar and high-altitude science communities, with a focus on early-career researchers. The Mertz Fellowship is dedicated to PhD students and early-career researchers (max. […]

Starting this summer with the SPI Exploratory Grants and the SPI Technogrants, the Swiss Polar Institute has reviewed its funding instruments to assess and lower the environmental footprint of Swiss scientific research in polar and high-altitude regions. Changes include cleantech and alternative data acquisition methods. Applicants will also be encouraged […]

In collaboration with Swiss skipper Oliver Heer, the free educational programme Swiss Polar Class will publish new learning content focused on oceans during the famous Vendée Globe race. Available in French and German, this new module for primary schools offers a novel way to better understand the role oceans play […]

Sion, 2 July 2024 – Today, Swiss skipper Oliver Heer announced that he will be among the 40 skippers to take part in the Vendée Globe 2024. This also confirms the continuation of the environmental data collection campaign to gain precious insight in the role the Southern Ocean plays in […]

Enabling early-career scientists to access polar and high-altitude regions to pursue their research on climate and environmental changes, this year’s Polar Access Fund supports six researchers selected by an independent panel of experts. The projects cover diverse domains such as biology, microbiology and biogeochemical cycles, applied geophysics, oceanography, high-altitude medicine, […]

The 2023 edition of the PolARTS programme received applications from fifteen tandems of artists and researchers. In cooperation with the PolARTS initiators, the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and the Swiss Polar Institute, a transdisciplinary jury selected three tandems’ projects that stood out in terms of quality, originality, and prospective […]

On 1 March 2024, the jointly organised SPI-AWI workshop reflected the rich collaboration between AWI- and Swiss-based scientists. Various presentations focused on current and future joint projects in polar regions. The online workshop concluded with a dynamic discussion about future collaboration opportunities in Antarctica. Following the signing of a Memorandum […]

On 26 February 2024 in Sion (VS), the Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) and Tara Ocean Foundation held a joint workshop focused on presenting the drifting scientific observatory/laboratory, Tara Polar Station, and on exploring synergies between the two organisations and their respective scientific communities. The collaborative workshop concluded with both parties […]

The call for the Prix de Quervain is now open. This year’s Prix de Quervain will be awarded for research on topics relating to the two polar regions. The prize honours students and early-career scientists for their outstanding MA, PhD or Postdoc works. The funding organisations are the Swiss Committee […]