Summary:

Polar research receives increasing interest internationally due to the large environmental changes occurring in polar regions, the role polar regions play in shaping global climate processes, and the large impacts and opportunities the changes may have on society. The unprecedented change and speed in Arctic environmental change, with Arctic temperatures increasing 2-3 times the global average, the possible tipping points and state shifts in the climate system, and the global impacts of unstable Antarctic ice shelves, call for urgent implementation of integrated monitoring programmes and coordinated national and international research and funding policies and programmes.

Polar research is a high priority in Norway with public funding partly from Ministries, the Research Council of Norway (RCN) and the EU. Some large private companies also contribute with research funding of relevance to polar areas. The mapping of Norwegian polar research in 2015 (NIFU report Norsk Polarforsking – forskning på Svalbard), gives a comprehensive overview of resources and publication output, in an international perspective. According to the report, Norway ranks as the world’s fifth-largest polar research nation in terms of publication volume. In the Arctic, Norway is on the third place, only out-numbered by US and Canadian papers.

The mapping exercise did not assess organisation and prioritisation of Norwegian polar research, nor does it propose recommendations to the structure and levels of national funding instruments and coordination. The Research Council therefore with this evaluation report presents the first full thematic evaluation of Norwegian polar research. The evaluation provides a critical review of Norwegian polar research in an international perspective and is tasked to recommend measures to enhance the quality, efficiency and relevance of future polar research. The evaluation reviews the landscape of polar research in Norway, not single institutions. It also gives special attention and recommendation to help improve the quality and impact of Svalbard research, responding to the requirements put forward in the recent White Paper on Svalbard (Meld.St. 32 2015-2016 - Svalbard).

We expect that this evaluation gives helpful advice to the Research Council, to relevant Ministries and also directly to the research institutions and communities, providing measures to further develop Norwegian polar research, and the research in Svalbard. The work has been carried out effectively and efficiently by the members of the evaluation committee and the secretariat SALT. We are grateful to all and would especially like to thank David Carlson for leading the work. We would also like to thank all participating research units for their time spent on contributions to facts and information, as well as interviews with selected major units. We appreciate this support which has been fundamentally important for the committee in compiling a comprehensive and reliable report.