The new research office will facilitate high‑quality research, serve as a resource for the research communities in Svalbard, and reduce the overall impact on nature.

– Svalbard is important for the world’s collective knowledge about the Arctic. Norway is the world’s eyes and ears in the north, and this is especially important now. We have facilitated international research cooperation in Svalbard for over 60 years, and we will continue to do so. This is both more important and more challenging than before, given today’s security situation. We are now strengthening Norwegian research management and enabling safe, high‑quality research cooperation, says Minister of Research and Higher Education Sigrun Aasland.

The office will be staffed by employees from the Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian Polar Institute.

The developments in international security policy have implications for how Norway, including on Svalbard, collaborates with foreign research institutions and organizes research activities. National security and research security are more important than ever. As in the rest of the knowledge sector, the goal is for research in Svalbard to be as open as possible and as secure as necessary.

– In Svalbard, we exercise research management by maintaining oversight and coordinating research activities, and the updated strategy will be an important tool in this work,” says Minister of Justice and Public Security Astri Aas-Hansen.

Svalbard is one of Europe’s last major wilderness areas and a unique reference area for climate and environmental research.

– The natural environment in Svalbard is among the most vulnerable we have, and research-related activity also puts pressure on the environment. This is why better coordination is important to reduce the overall burden and ensure that the natural environment can withstand the pressure,” says Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen.

About the Strategy for Research and Higher Education in Svalbard

The Strategy for Research and Higher Education in Svalbard was first adopted in 2018. Since then, the security landscape has changed, and Svalbard has undergone significant transformations, including societal restructuring, increased field activity and travel, and the impacts of climate change. This makes it necessary to update the strategy. It has now been updated in line with the new Svalbard White Paper from 2024 and the 2025 White Paper on secure knowledge in an uncertain world. The strategy now provides clearer guidance for research and educational activities and thus becomes a strengthened tool for Norwegian research management.

About the Svalbard Research Office

The Svalbard Research Office is established in Longyearbyen and consist of resources from the Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian Polar Institute.

The main tasks of the office will be to follow up on the research strategy for Svalbard, serve as a clear contact point and resource for research communities, facilitate high‑quality research, coordinate research to reduce overall environmental impact, and prepare an annual report.

The office will contribute to fulfilling the ambitions of the Svalbard White Paper and the Strategy for Research and Higher Education in Svalbard.

Updating the strategy and establishing the research office are also key measures to promote long‑term work on research security and responsible international knowledge cooperation in Svalbard.