Get involved in the 5th International Polar Year

Ahead of the 2025 Arctic Circle Assembly, taking place from 16 to 18 October, the IPY-5 global leadership has opened three key opportunities for engagement to help shape the planning, coordination, and participation in the 5th International Polar Year (2032–33):

• A call for bids to host the International Coordination Office (from early 2027 to at least 2035).
• A call for National Committees for countries wishing to contribute to IPY-5, launching in October 2025.
• A call for IPY-5 projects, starting in 2026, inviting institutions, researchers, and communities to seek IPY-5 endorsement for their initiatives.

The Fifth International Polar Year (IPY-5) is already in motion, unfolding in three stages: a planning phase (2021-2026) involving consultations to define priorities and structures; a project phase (2026-2033) marked by major research initiatives, fieldwork, and outreach; and a legacy phase (from 2033 onward) focused on data analysis, knowledge transfer, and evaluation of IPY-5’s impact.

For questions on the calls, please contact the ISC IPY-5 Focal Point Morgan Seag at [email protected] or the IPY-5 Interim Secretariat at [email protected].

Call for Bids to host the IPY-5 International Coordination Office

The Executive Committee of the 5th International Polar Year 2032-33 (IPY-5) is now accepting bids to host and sponsor the International Coordination Office for the planning and implementation of the IPY-5. The operational period of the Coordination Office is expected to be from early 2027 until at least the end of 2035. 

The bidding process will include the following deadlines:  

• 6 February 2026 at 18:00 GMT: Deadline to submit short Expressions of Interest letters (max. 2 pages) via this form.
• After a review of the expressions of interest, the IPY-5 Executive Committee will contact the shortlisted bids to invite them to submit full bids by no later than 31 May 2026. Detailed instructions for the full bids will be sent to the shortlisted bids by no later than early March 2026.

Bids are accepted from: 

• Individual institutions or organisations 
• Consortia of multiple institutions or organisations in one or more countries

Bids must be from institutions / organisations in countries that have an existing active Arctic and / or Antarctic research programme. Please see the memberships of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) for examples of countries with active Arctic and / or Antarctic research programmes. Institutions / organisations from countries not members of either IASC or SCAR may also apply if they can show an existing active Arctic and / or Antarctic research program or are providing a joint bid with a country that does. 

More detailed information on the call for bids and requirements for the IPY-5 International Coordination Office is available on the IPY-5 website. 

Call for National Committees

The 5th International Polar Year (2032–33), or IPY-5, will be a large-scale multilateral coordinated action to address urgent global challenges by advancing polar research. Its success will depend on strong national contributions linked together through international cooperation.

Local and national contributions will be coordinated by IPY-5 National Committees that any country interested in contributing to the IPY-5 can set up from October 2025. The committees should be active through the IPY-5 in 2032–33 until at least one year past the conclusion of IPY-5.

By contributing early, countries can shape how IPY-5 delivers knowledge and impact for the world. More information on how to create an IPY-5 National Committee can be found on the IPY-5 website.

Call for IPY-5 Projects from 2026

The 5th International Polar Year (2032–33) will include an ambitious and broad range of research, education, outreach and other projects and activities across the globe focused on the polar regions. A system of project endorsements will highlight and connect initiatives that contribute to IPY-5 from 2026 onwards. Receiving endorsement as an IPY-5 initiative is a way to connect projects to this global polar effort and ensure it contributes to the shared legacy of IPY-5.

There will be:

• International Endorsement Processes coordinated by the IPY-5 International Coordination Office and Executive Committee for international projects involving multiple countries. Annual calls for endorsements will be published starting 2026.
• National Endorsement Processes coordinated by the IPY-5 National Committees for national/local-focused projects involving only one country.

Projects can contribute to the:

• Ramp-up period to IPY-5 (2026–2031), and/or
• IPY-5 (2032–33), and/or
• IPY-5 Legacy period (2034 onwards)

Individuals, institutions, organisations, and communities working on topics related to the Arctic , Antarctic, or their global connections will be eligible to apply.

The detailed information on the IPY-5 Project Endorsement Processes will be available starting early 2026 on the IPY-5 website.

A first call for project endorsements for international projects will be released in spring 2026.

Photo by Long Ma on Unsplash

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