Governance, sustainable development and international politics of a future ice-free Arctic

What is this call about?

The topic funds research on the impacts, governance and international politics of an ice-free Arctic, from climate processes to community resilience and shipping. It targets interdisciplinary research consortia.

What does this call fund?

Scope

Projects improve understanding and projections of the impacts, timing and consequences of an ice-free Arctic, covering ocean, atmosphere, cryosphere and biosphere processes, tipping elements and cumulative human pressures. They distinguish between occasional, frequent and prolonged ice-free conditions and their effects, particularly for Europe.

Activities

• Improve regional models of physical, biogeochemical and biological processes, using new monitoring technologies and machine learning.
• Identify pathways for mitigation and anticipatory adaptation, for example community resilience and health of Indigenous populations, new shipping routes and economic opportunities, sustainable energy for Arctic communities, risk management for coastal erosion and permafrost thaw, and carbon sequestration.
• Improve projections for the Last Ice Area and assess geopolitical and strategic implications of a navigable Arctic.
• Carry out trans- and multidisciplinary research that integrates Indigenous and local knowledge with science.

Data and coordination

In-situ data should follow INSPIRE principles and be openly available through Copernicus and EMODnet, and data should be FAIR. Projects should link with Polhavet 2050, coordinate with ESA Polar Science Cluster projects and support the European Polar Coordination Office.

Expected outcomes

Better knowledge and monitoring of Arctic change, recommendations for sustainable development and Arctic Ocean governance, and contributions to global assessments such as IPCC and IPBES.

What are proposals expected to do?

• International cooperation is strongly encouraged, especially with partner countries of the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance.

When is the deadline?

23 September 2027 (321 days)

23 September 2027 (single-stage call).