5 Knowledge, research and higher education

5.1 Introduction

Research and higher education is one of the most important areas for Norwegian activity and presence in Svalbard.

Svalbard is an important platform for research and higher education, as well as for international cooperation. Norway will continue to be a strong polar research nation, while maintaining a high quality of teaching in higher education. Svalbard has a unique location in the Arctic and is the starting point for a number of research activities, including national and international collaborative expeditions.

Knowledge of climate change and environmental impact in the polar regions is important for managing a rapidly changing natural environment. By researching polar ecosystems, we also gain valuable knowledge about future developments in other areas. The research on Svalbard thus contributes to a strong knowledge base for Norwegian administration and policy development. The educational programmes at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) provide valuable polar expertise for graduates going into business and administration and develop a competence base for polar researchers of the future. Knowledge is also important for the restructuring and development of commercial activity. Research and higher education are a central part of Svalbard policy and contribute to fulfilling its overriding objectives, including regarding Norwegian communities on the archipelago.

Svalbard is of interest to researchers from all over the world and provides the basis for significant international cooperation on environmental, climate and polar research. Svalbard must be regarded as a limited resource, also as a research arena. A number of policy instruments and platforms for cooperation and sharing have been established, which contribute to reducing the impact on nature and to ensure that research facilities are better utilised. There is considerable value in bringing together researchers from different disciplines and countries to collaborate for the purpose of generating new knowledge and development. Research in Svalbard requires extensive planning and anyone conducting research on the archipelago must familiarise themselves with applicable legislation. All research activities are to take place in accordance with current Svalbard policy, and as the host of international research activities, Norwegian authorities have clear expectations of research actors.

5.2 Objectives for research and higher education in Svalbard

The Government’s objectives regarding knowledge, research and higher education in Svalbard remain unchanged. These were most recently enunciated in the Storting’s consideration of Report to the Storting (white paper) No. 32 (2015–2016) Svalbard, cf. Recommendation 88 S (2016–2017):

• Research and higher education shall be key elements of Norwegian activity in Svalbard in the years to come.

• Svalbard shall be further developed as a platform for international research, higher education and environmental monitoring. The archipelago’s infrastructure and unique research possibilities shall be exploited even better than they are at present. The infrastructure must be supplemented with measures that further strengthen Svalbard’s position in international knowledge development.

• Norway shall be a key actor in the development of knowledge in and about Svalbard, not just a facilitator. A professional leading role must be ensured, in particular through the professional standing and quality of Norwegian polar research.

• All activity shall be in accordance with an overriding consideration of the environment. Research and higher education in climate and the environment are natural focus areas, and the research itself relies on ensuring that the area remains as unaffected as possible by local impact.

Based on these objectives a strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard was developed as a follow-up of the previous white paper on Svalbard. The strategy also included some additional goals and frameworks, which are also to be continued and followed up.

5.3 Constellation of actors

5.3.1 University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS)

The University Centre in Svalbard AS is a state-owned limited company, owned by the Ministry of Education and Research. UNIS is the core institution of the Science Centre in Longyearbyen. The Svalbard Science Centre opened in 2005 and is the main arena for education and research in Longyearbyen.

UNIS offers higher education and conducts research based on the natural advantages of Svalbard. UNIS does not have the right to conduct its own exams, however, the courses offered are part of ordinary study programmes at the mainland universities. UNIS offers courses in five thematic categories: Arctic biology, Arctic geology, Arctic geophysics, Arctic technology and Arctic security with associated research. UNIS also offers courses in renewable energy. The teaching is largely field- and expedition-based, and the facilities at the Ny-Ålesund Research Station are utilised when relevant. UNIS also rents the remaining protected buildings in Svea for teaching and research purposes, as this is the only area of Western Svalbard with stable and predictable sea ice during the winter.

In 2022, UNIS had 106 permanent employees, 60 of whom held academic positions. About half of the staff members are Norwegian citizens. In accordance with current practice in academia, academic positions are advertised internationally to attract the best applicants. However, it is desirable to increase the share of Norwegian staff. The proportion of Norwegian students and the recruitment of Norwegian researchers are important if UNIS is to continue to be an important contribution to a Norwegian family community in Longyearbyen. UNIS participates in several centres of excellence in research, a centre of excellence in education and major EU projects. UNIS operates an Arctic Safety Centre (ASC), which aims to enhance competence on safe and sustainable human activity in the Arctic.

UNIS is a collaborative arena with staff and students from many countries. It has cooperation agreements with all the Norwegian universities and good relations with a number of Norwegian and international institutions. Many research projects at UNIS are of direct relevance to Svalbard, and the results are utilised at the local level. See Box 6.1.

With the exception of 2020 and 2021, UNIS has produced between 208 and 217 student labour years during the period 2016–2022, with more than 700 students per year. The goal is for half of the students to be from Norwegian institutions. In the period 2016–2022, 45–51 per cent of students at UNIS were from Norwegian universities.

Norwegian students travelling abroad on a student exchange programme through Erasmus+ receive a monthly grant. Students pursuing education outside Europe also receive funding. There is no equivalent support scheme for stays at UNIS, and students who choose UNIS instead of stays abroad are therefore at a financial disadvantage. This can make the recruitment of Norwegian students more challenging. The Government will consider various measures to increase the proportion of Norwegian students at UNIS.

Longyearbyen was voted Norway’s most popular university town in 2023 in a survey conducted by studentum.no. Nightlife and student accommodation received top marks, with study environment and academic quality close behind.

Photo: Norwegian Arctic Student Welfare Organisation

The new student housing facilities at Elvesletta officially opened in October 2021. The student housing facilities can accommodate a total of 300 students. These facilities replaced the old student housing located in an avalanche-prone area in Nybyen.

5.3.2 Research Council of Norway – Svalbard Office

The Research Council of Norway’s Svalbard Office is located at the Science Centre in Longyearbyen. Its main task is to ensure and contribute to clear Norwegian coordination of research activities in Svalbard. The Svalbard Office’s goals and policy instruments are therefore aimed at strengthening domestic and international research cooperation.

The Svalbard Office manages and serves as the secretariat for the Svalbard Science Forum (SSF), cf. section 5.4.2. The office is responsible for the Research in Svalbard (RiS) database, see section 5.4.2, and provides support for cooperation and fieldwork in Svalbard through its own grant schemes. An important component of the Svalbard Office’s work is to provide expert advice to the Governor of Svalbard on the processing of applications for research permits.

5.3.3 The Norwegian Polar Institute

The Norwegian Polar Institute is a directorate under the Ministry of Climate and Environment. The institute is responsible for mapping, environmental monitoring and management-related research in the Arctic and Antarctic. Furthermore, the institute also serves as an expert and strategic advisor to the central administration, sits on the Interministerial Committee on the Polar Regions and is an expert advisor to the Norwegian Environment Agency and the Governor of Svalbard. The institute conducts extensive activities in Svalbard, including research, environmental monitoring, topographic mapping, geologic mapping, research and logistics services, lighthouse inspection and advisory tasks. It is a key knowledge producer and possesses broad research-based expertise in areas where the environmental management authorities have direct management responsibility in the High North and polar regions or serve as a key driving force in both national and international processes. Furthermore, the Norwegian Polar Institute develops, revises and leads the Environmental Monitoring of Svalbard and Jan Mayen (MOSJ). Another important task of the institute is to actively participate in international research cooperation, to serve as an international focal point on polar matters and to facilitate contact between Norwegian and international academic communities. The institute also engages in cooperation by granting access to its infrastructure, such as office space, field equipment and transport. Together with UNIS, the Norwegian Polar Institute provides important logistics services to a number of Norwegian and international research partners in Svalbard. In addition to its facilities in Longyearbyen, the institute has offices in Ny-Ålesund and owns the air monitoring station on Zeppelin Mountain. The institute regularly uses the research vessel Kronprins Haakon around Svalbard. It also manages the Ny-Ålesund Research Station and follows up the research strategy for Ny-Ålesund. The institute’s portfolio in Svalbard is continuously evaluated and adapted to the needs of the authorities, and was most recently evaluated by the Research Council of Norway in 2023 (EVALBIOVIT). The institute’s research received highly favourable reviews, and was generally evaluated as excellent. Its researchers are well represented on the lists of the most published and cited researchers, both domestically and internationally.

5.3.4 Kings Bay AS

Kings Bay AS is a state-owned company with its head office in Ny-Ålesund. The company owns the infrastructure, land and most of the buildings in Ny-Ålesund, and is responsible for operations and development in Ny-Ålesund. Kings Bay AS lets 13 buildings to research institutes from 10 different countries, and around 20 research institutes carry out research projects in Ny-Ålesund every year. Kings Bay AS owns and maintains Svalbard’s largest collection of automatically protected buildings in Svalbard. The Ministry of Climate and Environment has strengthened Kings Bay AS’s operating and investment budget so that the company will have NOK 79.1 million in operating and investment grants in 2024, which is NOK 57.5 million more than in 2018.

5.4 Policy instruments and research activity

5.4.1 Norwegian research management – overall framework and principles for research and higher education

No other place in the Arctic can offer a research platform that has such readily accessible and well-developed research infrastructure for climate and environmental research as Svalbard. At the same time, the goal of preserving the area’s distinctive wilderness nature and local infrastructure sets limits in terms of scope and activity.

The Government emphasises the future-oriented and sustainable development of research and higher education in Svalbard. Activities shall be in accordance with established international standards for scientific practice and take place within the framework of Norwegian research policy and Norwegian research management in Svalbard, in compliance with Norwegian legislation. Norway is facilitating higher education through UNIS, which is to be the only institution for higher research-based education in Svalbard. This means that no other higher education programmes or courses will be facilitated in Svalbard outside of UNIS.

Photo: Marjolaine Verret, UNIS

A strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard was drawn up in 2018 based on the previous white paper on Svalbard. This strategy describes objectives and ambitions, as well as frameworks and general principles for research and higher education in Svalbard. Within the framework of the overarching strategy, the Research Council of Norway presented a separate research strategy for the Ny-Ålesund Research Station in 2019.

The Government believes the strategies have succeeded in achieving the goal of developing knowledge and expertise at a high scientific level. The strategies provide good frameworks and principles for research activities and research collaboration. They express ambitions and policy instruments for better resource utilisation and coordination, clearer prioritisation of the natural sciences, improved quality and academic management, cooperation and sharing of equipment and data. The Government will continue the strategies as well as the objectives and frameworks for research and higher education in Svalbard derived from them.

Through these strategies, Norwegian authorities have clear expectations of research actors. Norwegian research management is exercised by monitoring, regulating and coordinating research activities in order to reduce the overall impact on the natural environment in Svalbard and to ensure that research activities take place in accordance with the applicable Svalbard policy.

The Government expects that the research environments in Svalbard have the highest scientific ambitions for their research and strive for quality through international cooperation. Research results and data shall be made openly available and published in such a manner that they contribute to the development of the research front and are utilisable. The Government continues to see the potential in more systematic and binding cooperation on the research infrastructure in Svalbard. The aim is for all the research institutes operating in Svalbard to recognise the added value of increased cooperation, sharing and mutual access to research infrastructure.

Research activities and educational programmes shall be based on the natural advantages offered by Svalbard’s location, meaning that climate, nature and the environment shall be focus areas. Activities shall be of such a nature that they can only or best be carried out in Svalbard.

All research and educational activities shall take into account the need to minimise the footprint and overall impact on the environment. This can be achieved by coordinating activities and sharing data and results from fieldwork. Research data shall be made available and shared in line with internationally recognised principles.

Research in Svalbard shall primarily be conducted from established local communities and research stations. This applies to research activity in all local communities. The restrictive practice with regard to permits and requirements under the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act for activities that interfere with the nature and landscape outside the planning areas will be continued. This means that it cannot be expected that permits will be granted to establish new research stations or other major permanent research infrastructure outside the planning areas.

Within the planning areas, there is a strain on existing infrastructure. In both Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund, the management of land and property, and the establishment and use of buildings for research and education purposes shall comply with the land-use plan and regulations, as well as principles and frameworks for higher education and research.

The principle that research shall primarily take place in established local communities and at established research stations is also of significance for research activities conducted from cabins on state-owned land in Svalbard. The Government will review the regulations governing cabins on state-owned land, with the aim of updating the legal framework to reflect the current situation. Research activities in the protected areas of the archipelago should be limited to activities that cannot be conducted elsewhere.

As a rule, most activities will require permission from the Governor of Svalbard. For activities in the territorial sea, it may be necessary to obtain permission from other authorities, including the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries and the Norwegian Offshore Directorate. Traffic in the field requires a high degree of safety management, safety training and logistical support for both students and researchers. The Government will consider how to ensure that all research activities in the field take place following adequate safety training and with the necessary logistical support.

5.4.2 Cooperation forums and support schemes

The overarching principles for research and education in Svalbard form the basis for the work in various coordination and cooperation forums.

Svalbard Science Forum (SSF)

SSF is a forum for cooperation between all the most important research facilities and actors in Svalbard. This also includes the actors in Hornsund and Barentsburg. However, the actors in Barentsburg are temporarily suspended. The Research Council of Norway’s Svalbard Office provides the chair and secretariat for the forum. SSF has its own mandate adopted by the Ministry of Education and Research, most recently revised in 2019. The most important purpose of SSF is to contribute to high scientific quality in all research in Svalbard through good coordination of research activities, provide readily accessible information about the research and strengthen cooperation between both individual researchers and institutions.

Research in Svalbard (RiS)

The RiS database is a searchable portal providing an overview of ongoing research projects in Svalbard. The database is managed by the Research Council of Norway and has undergone significant improvements in recent years. Most research projects in Svalbard are registered in the database and all projects that apply to the Governor of Svalbard for permits, or the Research Council of Norway for funding, are to be registered in RiS. The same applies to all projects that involve stays in Ny-Ålesund. The Research Council of Norway quality controls that the research actors and research projects registered with projects in the RiS database are genuine.

The Arctic Field Grant (AFG) and the Svalbard Strategic Grant (SSG)

The Arctic Field Grant and the Svalbard Strategic Grant are part of the Research Council of Norway’s support schemes to promote polar research. The Arctic Field Grant supports graduate students, doctoral students and researchers who are not already established in Svalbard. Up to NOK 4 million is normally awarded. The funding is mainly intended to cover costs associated with fieldwork in Svalbard, thereby stimulating increased Norwegian research activity at the Ny-Ålesund Research Station.

The Svalbard Strategic Grant is a policy instrument that aims to promote coordination, collaboration and data sharing between researchers with relevance to Svalbard. SSG is a policy instrument that supports research networks. However, a Norwegian institution must be listed as the responsible applicant.

Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS)

The Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) is a Norwegian-initiated international collaboration on research infrastructure and data sharing. SIOS has a total of 29 members from 10 countries. The collaboration is structured as an association whose chair must be employed by one of the Norwegian member institutions.

Joint activities in SIOS are organised through SIOS Svalbard AS, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UNIS. These activities are mainly funded by the Research Council of Norway’s project, the SIOS Knowledge Centre, as well as by a membership fee.

SIOS members shall make their observation data comprehensible and available to each other. The Observation Facility Catalogue is a map-based service that provides an overview of all observation facilities that collect SIOS data. SIOS contributes to reducing unnecessary duplication of observations, thereby reducing the footprint on the vulnerable environment in Svalbard.

SIOS publishes the State of Environmental Science in Svalbard (SESS) report which describes the status and needs of the observation system for Earth System Science in several different domains.

The fact that several institutions are not members of SIOS remains a challenge. Changing this is a long-term goal. It is necessary to conduct an evaluation of SIOS and the Research Council of Norway has initiated such a process of the SIOS Knowledge Centre. The evaluation is expected to be finalised in 2024.

The Svalbard Science Conference

The Svalbard Science Conference was first organised in 2017 and has since been held every two years. Each conference has attracted around 300 participants, making it a key international meeting place for dialogue on research in Svalbard. The Svalbard Science Conference is organised by the Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian Polar Institute in collaboration with the Ny-Ålesund Science Managers Committee (NySMAC).

The Ny-Ålesund Science Managers Committee (NySMAC)

The Ny-Ålesund Science Managers Committee (NySMAC) is an informal cooperation and coordination body for the research institutions conducting research at the Ny-Ålesund Research Station. NySMAC has 18 member institutions, and the Norwegian Polar Institute is the forum’s secretariat. NySMAC has been central to the development of the four joint flagship programmes, covering the marine system in Kongsfjorden, terrestrial ecosystems, the state of the atmosphere and glaciological research.

5.4.3 Scope and quality of Svalbard-related research

Norway is one of the largest contributors to global polar research, particularly in the Arctic. Norway is also by far the leader in terms of number of publications from Svalbard. Researchers at Norwegian institutions contribute to the majority of the particularly highly cited Svalbard articles. Although no assessment of resource efforts in Norwegian polar research has been carried out since 2018, the Research Council of Norway has commissioned the Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education (NIFU) to conduct such a review, which is expected to be completed in summer 2024.

In the 2018 statistical year, approximately 500 full-time equivalents (FTEs) were dedicated to research and development in Svalbard. This includes the international contributions, as well as teaching and support functions.

The Research Council of Norway’s 2014 Assessment and Publication Analysis revealed that Norwegian researchers are cited somewhat less often than other major polar research nations, and that Svalbard research is cited less than other polar research. The reason for the latter may be that the results are too location-specific. In response, the Research Council of Norway announced up to NOK 50 million for Svalbard in a pan-Arctic context in 2023, through the earmarked programme for polar research, all of which was allocated to natural science research.

The Research Council of Norway’s evaluation of Norwegian polar research from 2017 and the follow-up plan from 2020 especially highlighted the importance of competition-based schemes to improve the quality of Norwegian polar research. Competition-based funding for polar research through the Research Council of Norway has been increased by NOK 15 million since the 2020 budget year, from around NOK 50 million to around NOK 65 million. Projects involving Svalbard-relevant research account for around 30 per cent of the Research Council of Norway’s competition-based polar research funding.

Both the evaluation and the follow-up plan emphasised the importance of major interdisciplinary initiatives. The two major Arctic Ocean programmes – The Nansen Legacy and GoNorth – are good examples of such initiatives. These two large research consortia have operated in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean north of Svalbard, with Svalbard as the starting point for their expeditions. Norway’s icebreaker-class research vessel FF Kronprins Haakon has enabled pioneering and management-oriented research on the marine ecosystem and studies of the water column from the seabed, including marine geology, to the sea ice. The Nansen Legacy has had a total budget of NOK 740 million over seven years, of which 50 per cent is funded by the Ministry of Education and Research through the Research Council of Norway, and the remaining 50 per cent is self-funded by the institutions. GoNorth has consisted of several sub-projects, each with its own external funding. The institutions are working on plans for the continuation of the projects, and thereby continued cooperation with other countries’ icebreaker-class research vessels.

Photo: Trine Lise Sviggum Helgerud, Norwegian Polar Institute

Infrastructure

The scope and quality of research activity is dependent on modern and accessible infrastructure. The fibre-optic cables between Svalbard and the mainland are crucial in this regard. Data volumes are increasing, and the use of digital sensors of various kinds produces data without the researcher being physically present. This requires a fast and stable internet connection.

The research vessel FF Kronprins Haakon was commissioned in January 2018. The vessel is designed to support all types of marine research in both open and ice-covered waters. FF Kronprins Haakon is owned by the Norwegian Polar Institute and is operated by the Institute of Marine Research. The Norwegian Coast Guard also provides valuable support to Norwegian polar research by granting access to research expeditions on the vessel KV Svalbard.

The Ny-Ålesund Research Station is an important infrastructure facility, with its research activities and the shared infrastructure that has been developed there.

5.5 Development trends and challenges

The need for and interest in climate and environmental research based on the polar regions, as well as considerations for national control, both reinforce and create new challenges for research and higher education in Svalbard.

There is growing interest in research in Svalbard among foreign institutions. As of May 2024, there were 678 active research projects led by researchers from 192 institutions from a total of 30 countries. Norwegian institutions account for almost half of the activity, leading 291 projects registered in the Research in Svalbard (RiS) database, and they are partners in another 69 projects. Research into how climate change in the Arctic affects weather and climate in other parts of the world attracts scientists from all over the Northern Hemisphere.

Clear and strong Norwegian research leadership is needed in Svalbard. The review of actors and policy instruments in research and higher education reveals a strong foundation. Nevertheless, the Government recognizes the need for additional measures. Therefore, the Government will establish a separate Svalbard Science Office within the current budget framework, consisting of resources from the Norwegian Polar Institute and the Research Council of Norway, in order to achieve a clearer Norwegian research management and an even better overview of the development of research in Svalbard. The office will follow up and implement the research strategy for Svalbard, serve as a clear focal point for foreign research environments and prepare an annual report on all research activities in Svalbard. The Svalbard Science Office should be located in the Science Centre in Longyearbyen.

The Government will continue its investment in polar research and the special emphasis on Svalbard research. For Norway as a polar nation, promoting strong and visible polar research is a prioritised research policy task. This applies to Svalbard, but also to research related to the Arctic and Antarctic, including the polar seas. The Research Council of Norway, as the Government’s advisor, research policy actor and funder, has an important role to play in this context. There is a need for good and strategic use of available funding for polar research in line with the enunciated policy priorities, and further development of strong academic environments with good recruitment.

The EU’s interest in Svalbard and the Arctic has increased, and cooperation is expanding. Similarly, polar cooperation and polar research are receiving increasing attention in bilateral cooperation with several countries. The Government will facilitate international cooperation through bilateral and multilateral arrangements. The general policy instruments through the Research Council of Norway and Norwegian participation in the European Framework Programmes will contribute to this. Norway should have a strong and clear voice in this cooperation.

Several coordination mechanisms and policy instruments have been developed for cooperation and sharing of infrastructure and data. Although several cooperation arenas exist, the potential for sharing and cooperation has not been fully realised. Open research and cooperation are essential in Svalbard, especially for reducing the overall strain on nature.

Continued work is needed on policy instruments to encourage more Norwegian researchers to use the Ny-Ålesund Research Station, including assessing the models for payment for stays in Ny-Ålesund, as well as the funding models for research support. In 2023, the Government bolstered the Arctic Field Grant funding programme with a lump sum allocation.

UNIS is the largest research institution in Svalbard in terms of publications (NIFU 2017:6) and number of projects (RiS database). They contribute greatly to international research cooperation and to the recruitment of new polar researchers.

UNIS has developed considerable local knowledge on natural conditions, geology, permafrost and technology for Arctic conditions, which makes an important contribution to social development in Longyearbyen and to the management of nature and the environment on the archipelago. UNIS has also built competence that is relevant to the development of renewable energy solutions in Svalbard. The Arctic Safety Centre (ASC) has the potential for further development by linking science, technology and safety.

With a high proportion of Norwegian students and researchers, UNIS contributes positively to a Norwegian family community in Longyearbyen. However, there continues to be a need for policy instruments that make UNIS more attractive to Norwegian applicants for both studies and academic positions. The Government will consider a target for employing Norwegian professionals at UNIS. It is desirable that more students attending programmes at Norwegian universities take a semester at UNIS, and the Government will continue to work on measures to achieve this. It is important that UNIS continues its good cooperation with the mainland universities to strengthen the recruitment of Norwegian students and the quality of its study programmes. The Government wants UNIS to be the sole provider of higher education in Svalbard.

5.6 Specific information about the Ny-Ålesund Research Station

5.6.1 Introduction

The Ny-Ålesund Research Station is an important part of Norway’s Svalbard policy as a Norwegian platform for international natural science research cooperation. The Norwegian Polar Institute manages the Ny-Ålesund Research Station and Kings Bay AS manages the local community. Buildings and other important infrastructure at the Ny-Ålesund Research Station, including larger/shared research infrastructure, are owned and operated by the Norwegian state institutions and state-owned companies.

Ny-Ålesund continues to develop as the leading research station for polar research in the Arctic. Kings Bay AS lets 13 buildings to research institutes from 10 different countries, and around 20 research institutes carry out research projects in Ny-Ålesund every year. In 2023, 267 research projects were registered in Ny-Ålesund, maintaining a level consistent with the previous five years. The number of guest nights by researchers has varied between 15,115 (2019), 13,906 (2022) and 13,473 (2023). The Norwegian share of visiting researchers varies between approximately 3,500 and 6,500. Over time, this activity has paid off in the form of lengthy and valuable time series. Several time series are now 50 years old.

The Norwegian Mapping Authority conducts Earth observations from its facility outside Ny-Ålesund. This is included in the production of a global reference frame and forms the basis for all positioning services used worldwide.

5.6.2 Research strategy for Ny-Ålesund

As a follow-up to the 2016 white paper on Svalbard, the Research Council of Norway was tasked with preparing a research strategy for Ny-Ålesund, which was published in the spring of 2019. The Norwegian Polar Institute is responsible for coordinating research and the day-to-day implementation and follow-up of the research strategy for Ny-Ålesund. The Government will continue to pursue the research strategy for Ny-Ålesund as well as the objectives and frameworks for research and higher education derived from it.

5.6.3 Research activity

The entire area and the surroundings of the Ny-Ålesund Research Station is in itself a scientific laboratory in a pristine Arctic natural environment, where the local environmental impact and the strain of traffic shall be reduced to a minimum. Therefore, it is essential to limit the impact of activities other than research, particularly the impact of vessels and tourists in the area. Teaching is limited to research-related teaching at the graduate level, with the exception of UNIS, which, due to its unique position in Svalbard, also can make use of Ny-Ålesund in undergraduate-level teaching.

In 2022, the Norwegian Polar Institute conducted studies in Kongsfjorden. There is considerable boat traffic in Kongsfjorden, peaking between the months of June and September. During this period, noise levels often exceed the internationally accepted acoustic thresholds for the disturbance of marine mammals. The Government recognises that there is a need to assess the impact of noise on life in the most heavily trafficked fjords of Svalbard, including Isfjorden and Kongsfjorden, and to consider the need for measures. In addition, ship calls result in breaches of the regulatory prohibition radio transmitters with signals in the 2–32 GHz frequency range and interference with the Norwegian Mapping Authority’s Earth observations.

Photo: Roar Blomstrand, Kings Bay AS

Kings Bay AS and the Norwegian Polar Institute have ensured a development whereby the research institutes make greater use of thematic centres linked to prioritised areas with equipment for joint use, operated by Kings Bay AS. This work will continue.

Kings Bay AS, the Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian Polar Institute have assessed measures to encourage Norwegian researchers to make greater use of the research opportunities in Ny-Ålesund. Among other things, there is a need to assess the models for payment for stays in Ny-Ålesund and the funding models for research support.

Climate challenges and changes in the permafrost are causing damage to the building stock in Ny-Ålesund due to unstable ground conditions. Foundation reinforcement is required for a large number of buildings in addition to damage repairs. Therefore, the Government has bolstered Kings Bay AS financially by increasing the operating and investment grant. Energy supply in Ny-Ålesund is diesel-based. The systems are relatively old and will eventually need to be renewed. In this context, it will be necessary to consider more future-oriented, green energy sources.

Ny-Ålesund received mobile phone coverage in 2023. To prevent interference with research instruments, the use of wireless internet and Bluetooth is not permitted.

5.7 Measures

The Government will:

• Continue the strategies as well as the following objectives and frameworks for research and higher education in Svalbard derived from them:

  • Research activities and educational programmes shall be based on the natural advantages provided by Svalbard’s location.

  • The research environments shall have the highest scientific ambitions for their research and strive for quality through international cooperation.

  • Research data and results shall be made openly available, shared and published in such a manner that they contribute to the development of the research front.

  • All research and educational activities shall take into account the need to minimise the footprint and overall impact on the environment.

  • Work towards a more systematic and binding cooperation regarding the research infrastructure in Svalbard.

  • The research environments shall share information about planned projects in the field and coordinate activities as far as possible.

  • All researchers, students and institutions that are active in the field must possess the appropriate competence and have the necessary logistical support.

  • Research in Svalbard shall primarily be conducted from established local communities and research stations.

  • UNIS shall be the sole provider of higher education in Svalbard.

• Continue investment in polar research and the special emphasis on Svalbard research.

• Within the current budget framework, establish a separate Svalbard Science Office consisting of resources from the Norwegian Polar Institute and the Research Council of Norway in order to achieve clearer Norwegian research management in Svalbard.

• Ensure that the Svalbard Science Office is responsible for preparing an annual report on research activities in Svalbard.

• Facilitate international cooperation through bilateral and multilateral arrangements, including through the funding schemes.

• Review the regulations governing cabins on state-owned land, with the aim of updating the state of the law to reflect the current situation.

• Ensure that UNIS continues to develop its role and profile as one of the most important institutions in Norwegian polar and Svalbard research and higher education.

• Ensure that UNIS further develops its collaboration with the mainland universities in order to strengthen recruitment and the quality of the courses offered.

• Consider a target of employing Norwegian professionals at UNIS.

• Consider various measures to increase the proportion of Norwegian students at UNIS.

• Ensure that the Arctic Safety Centre (ASC) is further developed for research and education purposes.

• Continue to work on measures to encourage more Norwegian researchers to use the Ny-Ålesund Research Station.