Arctic Council Working Group Engagement Opportunity
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Polar Regions Department is keen to identify a small number of individuals within the UK Arctic research community who would be willing to act as an informal focal point for engagement with each of the Arctic Council Working Groups (ACWG). This would allow the FCDO to share information, updates and requests from ACWGs to each focal point for onward transmission to relevant interests in the wider research community, providing you with greater line of sight to what’s happening and the opportunities to get involved, and the potential to forge wider collaborations with Arctic State and other partners. You would also have an opportunity to join relevant ACWG discussions. The FCDO will look to bring this small group of focal points together on an ad-hoc basis to update on the latest developments and activities. We are currently looking for volunteers for ACAP, AMAP, CAFF, EPPR and PAME (you can find links to each of the working groups here: The Arctic Council | Arctic Council). Please send any expressions of interest, or requests for more information, to James Jansen, FCDO’s Senior Arctic Lead, at james.jansen@fcdo.gov.uk.
Call for applications – Senior Research Fellowship at the FCDO
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Polar Regions Department is advertising for a Senior Research Fellow to join them for 2 days per week from April 2027. As geopolitical and climate dynamics in the Polar Regions intensify, this Fellowship will play a critical role in understanding the future nature and implications of these challenges for the UK’s interests including challenges to our security and stability, domestic resilience and supply chains. The Fellowship is expected to last for a period of 2 years. Further details can be found at: Call for Applications | Eleven Senior Research Fellowships at the FCDO – Global Research and Technology Development. The application deadline is 30th August 2026 at 5pm GMT. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
REMINDER: UK Arctic Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Report for IPY5 – Workshops
As the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) prepares its new strategy (2027-2037) and in the lead-up to Fifth International Polar Year (IPY5, 2031-32), we are at a critical moment in helping to shape and direct the role of the arts, humanities, and social sciences. UK-based individuals, institutes, and organisations working across Arctic arts, humanities, and social sciences are invited to join for a series of workshops led by Dr Isabelle Gapp (Co-Director, The Centre for the North & UK SHWG member for IASC) taking place online and in-person (Cambridge and Aberdeen). Colleagues working on Antarctica are also welcome to join. For further information about the workshops, and to register, please use this link to access the form:
UK Arctic Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Report for IPY5 – Workshops – Fill in form
The deadline to register is 28 August 2026.
Arctic Science Summit Week 2027: Call for Community Meetings and Workshops
ASSW2027 will dedicate five main days to IASC & Arctic Community Meetings and Workshops (April 11- 15, 2027) and are now inviting proposals for Community Meetings and Workshops. ASSW2027 will be held in a hybrid format, with each session offering the option of in-person only, hybrid, or online meeting only.
Please submit your science community meetings and workshops proposal by using this form, deadline is 16 October, 2026. Please direct questions regarding ASSW2027 Community Meetings and Workshops to info@iasc.info.
Preliminary ASSW 2027 agenda:
11 – 15 April 2027: Community Meetings and Workshops
16 – 20 2027: The Ninth International Symposium on Arctic Research (ISAR-9)
Important dates:
18 May – 16 October 2026: Call for ASSW 2027 Community Meetings and Workshops
18 May – 1 August 2026: Call for ISAR-9 Special Sessions
1 September – 1 October 2026: Call for ISAR-9 Abstract Submission
Late November 2026: Registration and Draft Programs open
11 April – 20 April 2026: ASSW 2027
You can find more information on the ASSW2027 website
Outputs from the ‘Supporting Impactful UK Arctic Science Engagement 2025/2026’
In recognition of the importance of the work of the Arctic Council, and the potential for increased engagement by researchers based in the United Kingdom, the UK Government funded the ‘Supporting Impactful UK Arctic Science Engagement‘ scheme in 2025 -26. This funding was used to support UK-based researchers in practical engagement that aligned with the work programmes of the six Arctic Council Working Groups and the priorities and initiatives of The Kingdom of Denmark’s Chairship of the Arctic Council.
The aims were to:
- support the active and effective work of projects across the six Arctic Council Working Groups and beyond;
- provide valuable opportunities for UK-based researchers to share and expand their expertise, for mutual benefit; and
- support the UK’s role as a committed and active Observer to the Arctic Council addressing priorities of joint benefit.
The scheme was delivered in active partnership with the NERC Arctic Office and the UK Science and Technology Network and supported a wide range of activities, including:
- 25 projects led by UK-based researchers, aligned with Arctic Council Working Groups and the priorities of the current Arctic Council Chairship held by the Kingdom of Denmark. The Project Summaries 2025 -2026 booklet has been produced and is now available.
- Support for five early career researchers (ECRs) to participate in the RV Skagerak research cruise in Greenland during a 10-day expedition in August 2025.
- Funding for over 25 ECRs to attend major Arctic events, including the Arctic Circle Assembly, Greenland Science Week and Arctic Frontiers.
- Support for a polar fieldwork training course, held in March at the NERC Arctic Research Station, enabling 16 students—including, for the first time, Norway-based ECRs—to participate. The course offered a truly authentic polar research experience, and participant feedback was extremely positive.
- Development of a pilot Greenland research portal to improve access for Greenland-based researchers to data held in UK data centres, which was also presented at ASSW 2026 in Aarhus, Denmark.
Any future opportunities will be advertised through our website and through the bulletin so do keep an eye out and subscribe to receive the bulletin, if you haven’t already!
Upcoming Events:
Arctic Circle Assembly 2026, 8 – 10 October 2026, Reykjavik, Iceland
ArcticNet’s Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) 2026, 7 – 10 December, 2026, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Arctic Frontiers, 1 – 4 February 2027, Tromso, Norway
Arctic Science Summit Week, 11 – 20 April 2027, Hakodate, Japan.