Meeting about the Swedish Centre for the Arctic and Antarctic initiative
We invite researchers at KTH, from senior faculty to postdoctoral researchers, who are active in Arctic and Antarctic research and education, to a meeting about the Swedish Centre for the Arctic and Antarctic (SCAA). The initiative will be presented, followed by a discussion on KTH joining the collaboration and how its scholars could benefit from it, contribute to it, and help shape its further development. Sweden's new Arctic strategy provides an important policy context for this discussion.
Time: Wed 2026-09-23 13.00 - 14.00
Location: Room Arkitekten, Teknikringen 74
Language: English
Participating: Dag Avango, Keith Larson, LTU, Peter Sigray, Annika Borgenstam, Björn Berggren, KTH
Program
13.00-13.10 Round of introductions (all meeting participants).
13.10-13.30 Presentation of the Swedish Centre for the Arctic and Antarctic and its place in Sweden's new Arctic strategy
Dag Avango and Keith Larson, Luleå University of Technology
13.30-14.00 Discussion on opportunities and challenges for KTH to join the SCAA, priorities for joint activities, and the next steps in developing the collaboration.
Registration
Please register below
Background
The SCAA is a university-led initiative that aims to strengthen Swedish Arctic and Antarctic science and education, and to enhance their international recognition. Its overall goal is to support the development of research and education in and for the polar regions, strengthen Sweden's role as a polar research nation, and promote opportunities for Sweden to be a driving actor nationally and internationally.
The SCAA aims to support Sweden's policy and national interests in the polar regions through collaboration with the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat and other relevant authorities. Through cooperative research, education and communication activities, it aims to become a national resource for expertise in geopolitics, security, climate change, the green transition, and Indigenous and local communities.
Our vision is to provide a single point of contact for dialogue through multidisciplinary to transdisciplinary Arctic and Antarctic research and education, across Sweden and internationally, with civil society as a key partner. The SCAA thereby aims to respond to present and future demands for research-based knowledge in and for the polar regions.
The initiative was launched at the annual Forum for the Arctic and Antarctic conference in Kiruna in November 2024 by Luleå University of Technology and Umeå University, in collaboration with the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat. Stockholm University joined in 2025, followed by the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology in spring 2026.
Policy support for continuing and developing the SCAA
The Government's 2026 strategy, Sweden's strategy for a peaceful, secure and sustainable Arctic (Govt Comm. 2025/26:268), explicitly recognises the Centre in section 4.5.1. It describes its role in bringing together and strengthening Swedish polar research, increasing the societal value of research, and reinforcing Sweden's voice in international polar research cooperation. [1, p. 35]
The same section sets out the Government's intention to fund a coherent national polar research agenda over the long term and strengthen a national polar research programme and research school. It also affirms academic freedom and responsible internationalisation as guiding principles. [1, p. 34]
This recognition strengthens the case for continuing and developing the SCAA's university-led mission. Joint research, education and communication offer a practical contribution to implementing the strategy, in cooperation with the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat.
KTH's participation
We would welcome KTH as a partner in this collaboration. Participation would offer KTH researchers opportunities to develop partnerships across disciplines and institutions, contribute to joint research and education, and connect their expertise with national and international policy dialogue. KTH would also have an opportunity to help shape the SCAA's priorities and working arrangements. The meeting will explore shared interests, the benefits and practical implications of participation, and next steps towards a possible partnership.
[1] Government of Sweden (2026). Sweden's strategy for a peaceful, secure and sustainable Arctic . Govt Comm. 2025/26:268, section 4.5.1, pp. 34-35. English version published 24 June 2026.