Norwegian ICARP IV Coordination Workshop

The Fourth International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP IV) is a multi-year (2022-2026), community-wide coordinating planning process convened by the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) in collaboration with many partners worldwide. ICARP IV represents a collective effort to engage Arctic researchers, Indigenous peoples, policymakers, residents, and interested parties to review and discuss the state of Arctic science, to identify the most urgent Arctic knowledge gaps and research priorities, and to explore strategies, and develop plans and recommendations to address those gaps in the coming decade – toward the 5th International Polar Year (IPY) 2032-2033 and beyond. The next scheduled milestone in the ICARP process is a meeting of the RPT chairs in Akureyri, Iceland in late October 2024. The process will then culminate at the ICARP IV conference itself, which will be held in Boulder USA in late March 2025. At this conference, ICARP's seven research priority teams will reconvene to make recommendations on planning and priorities. We propose to convene a workshop of Norwegian stakeholders in this process after the meeting in Akureyri, but prior to the conference in Boulder to discuss and establish research themes, gaps, opportunities and priorities particular to Norway. The meeting would focus on coordination and collaboration between different workstreams and institutions. One key area for discussion would be Norwegian participation in the next IPY. The workshop would occur in Tromsø in late November or early December, and would aim to include presentations from the ICARP RPTs, IASC working groups, EU PolarNet, indigenous rightsholders, and the Research Council of Norway. However, the workshop will be open to all interested participants and stakeholders, and we hope to include a wide range of representatives from both private and public sector bodies.