Tromsø, Norway, will host the International Coordination Office for the Fifth International Polar Year, the global research initiative running in 2032-33. Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced the decision in Arendal. Four institutions across three continents form the consortium: the Arctic University of Norway (UiT), the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI), the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) and the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH).
Norway and UiT will serve as the ICO's physical host and lead financial contributor. The main office sits in Tromsø. KOPRI and INACH will host and fund two regional offices. The consortium spans Europe, Asia and South America, bringing together Arctic and Antarctic research communities. It is designed to function as a single coordinating body, speaking with one voice and ensuring consistent support, endorsement processes and engagement opportunities across all regions.
The office coordinates, it does not run research
The office carries a budget of $10 million over nine years, beginning January 1, 2027. It will support the IPY-5 Executive Committee and Planning Group on all matters concerning the International Polar Year. That means consistent processes across three continents, not a research programme of its own.
Central to the mandate is the meaningful participation and leadership of Indigenous Peoples and the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge systems throughout IPY-5. A dedicated Indigenous liaison officer will be among the consortium's first two priority appointments. Matthew Druckenmiller, president of IASC, said the office builds on years of collaboration with Indigenous Peoples and Arctic communities, bringing them into IPY-5 as full partners from the beginning. The office will also promote open science and support the participation and leadership of early-career researchers.
The four organizations guiding IPY-5 preparations, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), the International Science Council (ISC) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), welcomed the announcement. It coincided with the SCAR Open Science Conference in Oslo.
Three continents, one structure for polar science
The host choice matters for Southern Ocean science because the consortium binds Arctic and Antarctic research communities into one structure. The Arctic and Antarctic cover about 10% of the planet, and rapid change there shapes the other 90%. Chile's Antarctic institute brings proximity to the continent. Gino Casassa, INACH's director, said the southern tip of South America is a powerful reminder that Antarctica is deeply connected to the region and its future. The consortium will champion Latin American participation and engage all five Antarctic gateway countries.
Tromsø brings the Arctic side. Camilla Brekke, director of the Norwegian Polar Institute, said few places in the world bind the Earth's two polar regions together more strongly than Tromsø. Dag Rune Olsen, rector of UiT, said the polar regions affect global societal changes, geopolitics, resource management and how people live and work. Hyoung Chul Shin, president of KOPRI, called IPY a once-in-a-generation opportunity and said the fifth series must be ready for truly global engagement amid unprecedented planetary-scale changes.
Gary Wilson, president of SCAR, said strong representation across the world in the coordination office will ensure the response to polar change is global. Støre framed the announcement in the same terms, emphasising broad international scientific cooperation in an increasingly turbulent and polarised world.
The coordination office opens January 1, 2027, and IPY-5 runs in 2032-33. Those are the dates to note. The first two priority appointments, including the Indigenous liaison officer, will signal how the consortium interprets its mandate, and they are the next milestone to watch.