New funding for polar research

By erik [dot] torner [at] mgeo [dot] lu [dot] se (Erik Törner) - published 8 April 2026

Polar research station. Photo by NOAA on Unsplash — Photo by NOAA on Unsplash

The Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) has recommended a new national initiative in polar research for funding as part of the government programme on Strategic Research Areas. The Department for Earth and Environmental Sciences (MGeo) is a co-applicant for the proposal, which is led by Stockholm University. It brings together several universities in a long-term collaboration. Although the formal decision is taken by the government, a recommendation at this stage effectively confirms that the funding will be awarded.

Hello Helena Filipsson, Assistant Head of Department at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (MGeo)

This is kind of a big deal, right?!

- This is fantastic news! We are so happy to be a part of a very impressive consortium of leading universities within polar/high latitude research. The group at Lund University doing the main writing part was led by Helena Alexanderson, and they have done an impressive amount of work.

Helena Filipsson. Photo by Helena Filipsson. — Photo: Helena Filipsson.

What would the funding be used for?

- We hope there will be funding for Associate senior lectureships within polar research however we are still working on the details.

Does this mean funding is more or less guaranteed?

- Yes, the funding is more or less guaranteed, as long as the government follows the Swedish Research Council's recommendation, which they usually do.

What could it mean for MGeo, and for polar research?

- Lund University has a long tradition of polar research, this new SFO will strengthen the field across MGeo and hopefully lead to new collaborations both internally and externally, important scientific discoveries and new projects.

Great news for MGeo – and congratulations to all involved!

Background

The Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet, VR) has recently announced its recommendations within the government initiative Strategic Research Areas (SFOs) – a national programme designed to build long-term, internationally competitive research environments in areas of major societal importance. Under this scheme, universities apply in competition for designation and funding as a Strategic Research Area. Vetenskapsrådet is responsible for issuing the call, carrying out an international peer-review process and assessing the scientific quality of the applications. Based on this evaluation, VR submits a recommendation to the Swedish government on which research initiatives should be funded and at what level. The formal decision on funding is then taken by the government, and the funds are allocated as earmarked parts of the universities’ core research grants.

For the strategic research area Polar Research, Vetenskapsrådet has recommended one initiative for funding: The Swedish Centre for Integrative Polar Research (SCIPolar), with Stockholm University as the main applicant. The proposed funding amounts to SEK 22 million in 2027 and SEK 44.5 million in 2028. Several universities participate as partners in the initiative, including Lund University.

Although Stockholm University is the host institution, SCIPolar is designed as a national research collaboration. Lund University’s participation reflects its long-standing involvement in polar and high-latitude research and its contribution to the broader scientific environment that the SFO is intended to support. Vetenskapsrådet’s recommendation is the final step in the competitive evaluation process. While the formal decision is taken by the government, recommendations at this stage are widely regarded as confirmation that the funding will be awarded according to the proposed plan.