Several Danish universities have actively chosen to organise their Arctic and polar research in intersectorial centers. The Ministry of Higher Education and Science wishes to support this development and streghten its own efforts in relation to polar research.
The Polar Secretariat aims to create a general overview
The aim of the Polar Secretariat of the Danish Agency for Research and Education is to maintain a general overview of polar research activities in the Kingdom of Denmark and within the Ministry of Higher Education and Science.
The tasks of the Polar Secretariat include:
- Having the knowledge of matters related to research and education in the Arctic, nationally as well as internationally
- To be a collaborative partner for the Danish research institutions and authorities on Arctic matters
- To contribute with insight and knowledge about Arctic research and education to the Ministry of Higher Education and Science including the Minister
- Secretarial services for the Forum for Arctic Researchers
- To represent Danish interests in international forums relevant to polar research
- To administer the budget appropriations in the Agency for Higher Education and Science for e.g. Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Danish Arctic Institute, Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies Library and UArctic
Funding
The Polar Secretariat administers a large number of grants to support Arctic research in the Kingdom of Denmark. These include e.g.
- Operational support for the Climate Research Center at the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources
- Funds for the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources for PhD and Postdoctoral Fellowships
- Operating support for the UArctic
- Funds for north2north - a mobility program under the UArctic
- Funding for project under UArctics programmes
- Support for the Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies Library, University of Copenhagen
- Operating support for the Danish Arctic Institute
In addition, the Agency for Higher Education and Science contribute with funding to the research station Zackenberg.