NERC Arctic Office Bulletin – October 2026
New UKRI funding – Ice-free Arctic Ocean Programme
Understanding the environmental impacts of an increasingly ice-free Arctic Ocean and developing the predictive capability and operational capacity needed to build resilience and security as the Arctic changes, is a focus for UK Research and Innovation’s new ‘Climate, Adaptation, Environment and Resilience’ priority programme. UKRI will initially invest around £13m up to 2032 in a joint funding partnership with the Research Council of Norway, including connections with the Polhavet (Arctic Ocean) 2050 programme. Outline details of the funding opportunities are available via https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/future-research-and-innovation-funding-opportunities/ (Nov & Dec). Calls are expected to be released over the coming months. There will be online opportunities to share information about the call, understand the connections with the Arctic Ocean 2050 programme and link with partners in Norway, and potentially beyond. Those details will be shared via this Bulletin and beyond.
SAVE THE DATE: UK Arctic Science Conference 2027
The 2027 UK Arctic Science Conference will be hosted by the University of Stirling from Tuesday 31 August to Thursday 2 September 2027. This will follow a similar format to that trialled in Northumbria in 2025. More information will follow early in the new year. Until then, please get in touch with Anna Crawford (anna.crawford@stir.ac.uk) if you or your organisation is interested in hosting a break-out room during the conference.
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.