EU polar community calls for sustained investment ahead of FP10
26 November 2025
On 18 November 2025, leading polar researchers, EU policymakers, and stakeholders convened in Brussels for a hybrid policy event co-organised with the MEP Intergroup on Climate Change, Biodiversity & Sustainable Development and the EU Polar Cluster.
The event explored how scientific evidence can better inform EU discussions on climate adaptation, resilience, and the ocean-climate nexus, ensuring that policymaking keeps pace with rapid environmental change. The occasion coincided with the announcement of a new joint policy brief, published in October 2025, which sets out the case for sustained investment in polar research under the EU’s next research framework.
The brief, developed by PolarRES alongside Horizon Europe flagship projects PROTECT, CRiceS, and OCEAN:ICE, calls for renewed, mission-driven investment in Arctic and Antarctic science as preparations advance for the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the Tenth Framework Programme for research and innovation (FP10). The four projects combine expertise in modelling, sea-level rise, sea-ice processes and Antarctic ocean-cryosphere interactions, offering an integrated view of why Europe must strengthen its long-term polar research capacity.
Over the past two decades, the European Union has become a leading scientific, diplomatic, and normative actor in the Polar region. Through Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, the EU has invested more than €790 million in polar and high-latitude research, enabling major advances in Earth observation, climate modelling, and environmental monitoring. Yet, researchers warn that this progress is increasingly at risk. Without a dedicated polar research programme in FP10, Europe may face widening gaps in observational networks, model development, and scientific preparedness, undermining Green Deal objectives, climate adaptation and long-term security planning.
The joint policy brief issues three core recommendations for EU policymakers:
- Strengthen EU leadership through sustained polar research funding: Adapt funding criteria to support long-term observations and incremental model improvements.
- Address polar climate risks in European adaptation strategies: Recognise that polar-driven changes directly affect Europe. Integrate these risks into adaption plans, civil protection systems and foresight assessments.
- Support modelling for policy-relevant climate forecasting: Invest in high-resolution, polar-relevant Earth system models and promote AI-enhanced modelling approaches grounded in physical principles.
As the Arctic and Antarctic warm at unprecedented speed, the four Horizon projects emphasise that the coming decade — shaped by FP10 and preparations for the Fifth International Polar Year (2032-2033) — will be pivotal for Europe’s global leadership.
Read the full policy brief for more information:
These factsheets summarising research findings on boreal wildfires, permafrost thaw and trans-Atlantic shipping, and other climate impacts, are available to support informed evidence-based decision-making across sectors.
PolarRES studies the interactions between the atmosphere, oceans, and sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic; it utilises novel storylines to project the impacts of climate change. The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
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