Our commitment to support Swiss polar and high-altitude science
The Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) funds and supports Swiss polar and high-altitude research in Switzerland. SPI is committed to the Swiss scientific community by:
- Developing initiatives and programmes to strengthen cutting-edge Swiss polar research that addresses global challenges;
- Facilitating access to international research infrastructure and strategic polar science initiatives;
- Federating the Swiss polar science community with a specific emphasis on interdisciplinary integration and the emergence of a new generation of scientists;
- Enhancing the visibility and relevance of polar science with the Swiss public;
- Supporting innovative partnerships and activities to better understand the links between the local and polar dimensions of climate change.
Our history
The Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) was created with a bottom-up approach in April 2016 as a consortium of Swiss universities – EPFL, the University of Bern, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, ETH Zurich, University of Lausanne, University of Zurich – with support of private philanthropy and under the patronage of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). Since 2021, the Swiss Polar Institute is a private foundation with public and private funding and has been recognised by the SERI as a “research institution of national importance”.
Originally based at the EPFL Campus in Lausanne (Vaud), the SPI relocated to the Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Centre (ALPOLE) on the Energypolis Campus in Sion (Valais, Switzerland) in December 2022. This new setting amidst the Swiss Alps enhances SPI’s support to and collaborations with the vibrant Swiss scientific community.
Shared values for driving positive change
In all its activities, SPI fosters diversity and interdisciplinary collaboration, and pays particular attention to the environmental impact of polar and high-altitude fieldwork. Sustainability is one of the cornerstones of SPI’s values alongside agility, equality and integrity and is embedded in SPI’s strategic and operational activities.
In consultation with the Swiss polar community, the Swiss Polar Institute has defined principles that guide its actions for long-term positive impact of excellent science and an inclusive culture of sustainability:
- Reduce environmental impact across all SPI activities: From the operations of the Secretariat to science funding, the environmental impact is assessed and addressed with the aim to achieve a maximal positive impact relative to SPI’s scope.
- Promote the development and use of environmentally friendly technology: SPI seeks to harness the Swiss engineering potential and to provide innovative clean technological solutions for more environmentally friendly polar research.
- Devise, apply and share best practice: SPI advocates for an active and responsible approach by funders and operators alike. Through its measures, SPI paves the way for greater sustainability in polar science by devising new approaches, sharing knowledge on best practices while promoting scientific excellence.
- Seek innovative alternatives to carbon offsetting: SPI uses carbon offsetting only as a last resort and seeks to take an exemplary and creative stance throughout its actions by contributing to congruent discussions and developments in the science community.
The SPI considers sustainability not only as a goal and a set of practices but also as a process that requires continuous efforts and long-term commitment, whilst nurturing a critical and resilient stance.