Arctic Frontiers is organized as an independent network and a leading meeting place for pan-arctic issues. The network was established in 2006 and later extended. It consists of the following entities:

• Troms County
• The University of Tromsø
• ConocoPhillips
• ARCTOS - The Arctic Marine Ecosystem Research Network
• Akvaplan-niva
• The Research Council of Norway
• Institute of Marine Research
• SpareBank1 Nord-Norge
• The Norwegian Barents Secretariat
• Norwegian Polar Institute
• Northern Research Institute
• Arctic Net
• University of the Arctic

These institutions and companies provide continued financial support.

In addition, the network includes UNIS (the University Centre of Svalbard), Kings Bay AS (the research station at Ny Aalesund, Svalbard), SINTEF, University of Stavanger, IRIS (International Research Institute of Stavanger) and Storm Weather Center.

We co-operate with additional partners and sponsors that vary from year to year based on the conference theme. In 2007, these were the Norwegian Barents Secretariat and the City of Tromsø and in 2008 the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, Innovation Norway and the Executive Committee for Northern Norway. In 2009 we cooperated with IPY (International Polar Year) and the City of Tromsø. The Arctic Frontiers secretariat is located in Tromsø, Norway.

Increased human activity in the Arctic will have significant economic, political, and social implications for Arctic nations, and will impact Arctic ecosystems. It is thus vital to balance human activities within Arctic regions with the need to manage and protect the environment and ecosystems in the short and long term. Arctic Frontiers provides a platform for all arctic stakeholders to define priorities for development and research under the motto “Balancing human use and ecosystem protection”. The ultimate goal of Arctic Frontiers is to provide a better understanding of arctic regions within a pan-arctic perspective, and to promote sustainable levels of human activity based on scientific knowledge, cultural sensitivity and cooperation across borders.

Arctic Frontiers is working to achieve the following:

• to increase attention and commitment to sustainable development of the Arctic, particularly from the corporate sector.
• to build new partnerships across sectors, generations and ethnic groups,
• to offer a forum for delivering state of the art science to the public and at the same time bringing the sociological, political and economic framework for management of the Arctic to the attention of science.
• to provide open access to everyone to the annual conferences through a live broadcast on the Internet, simultaneously interpreted in English and in Russian.
• to develop new approaches and solutions to environmental challenges caused by human activity.

Arctic Frontiers holds an annual conference in Tromsø, Norway to discuss multiple perspectives of Arctic issues. The conference brings together stakeholders from the Arctic nations and the European Union, including decision- and policy- makers, government authorities and industry representatives, regional interest groups, top scientists and NGO’s. The meeting combines science and policy, with cultural events in surroundings that are conducive for networking. The annual conference is hosted by the University of Tromsø. Arctic Frontiers offers modern congress facilities, wide-ranging cultural activities including concerts, films, and exhibitions, and live internet broadcast with simultaneous translation into Russian and English.

In 2009, “The Age of the Arctic” conference discussed major driving forces behind the current political interest in the Arctic, and development in ocean governance. During the scientific sessions focus was on “Arctic marine ecosystems in an era of rapid climate change”. This conference was organised in cooperation with the National IPY secretariat and ARCTOS.

In 2008, “Challenges for oil and gas development in the Arctic” and the challenges for society and the environment were discussed. The conference was organised in cooperation with the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) and provided a platform for the launch of the AMAP Oil and Gas Assessment. Over 600 delegates from 20 nations attended Arctic Frontiers in 2008 and in excess of 1500 visitors watched the life broadcasts and videos on the Internet.

In 2007, “Addressing responsibilities for sustainable development in the Arctic” was the main theme in the policy sessions, while the scientific sessions discussed “Food web dynamics and biogeochemical fluxes in the Arctic Ocean”. More than 500 individuals from 21 nations attended the Arctic Frontiers conference in 2007, and 1000 visitors watched the life broadcasts and videos on the Internet.

Bringing forward and including young scientists is an important element of Arctic Frontiers. In cooperation with the research network ARCTOS, the Young Scientist Forum was established, and several workshops were organised for PhD students in parallel to the conference. By including young people synergistic effects across borders are created, thus preparing the ground for cooperation in the years to come. More than 50 PhD students from 10 nations participated in Arctic Frontiers in 2008.

Arctic Frontiers is governed by the Steering Committee, chaired by Salve Dahle, Director of Akvaplan-niva ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ), and meets three to four times a year. The composition of the Steering Committee reflects the independent nature of the network and the partners in Arctic Frontiers, representing international research expertise and political and business experience.

The Arctic Frontiers network is strengthen by an Advisory Board with international multidisciplinary background, and by a Scientific Committee.

For the 2009 conference the Steering Committee has 11 members from supporting institutions and companies, and the Scientific Committee is chaired by Professor Paul Wassmann, University of Tromsø.

The Arctic Frontiers secretariat is located to Akvaplan-niva in the Polar Environmental Centre in Tromsø, Norway. It is responsible for day-to-day operations and for the organisation of the annual conference. The secretariat is led by Reinhold Fieler, Director for innovation and strategy in Akvaplan-niva ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

Address: Arctic Frontiers, c/o Akvaplan-niva, Polar Environmental Centre, N 9196 Tromsø, Norway

Phone: +47 77 75 03 00, Fax: +47 77 75 03 01

The secretariat manages the Arctic Frontiers website www.arctic-frontiers.com.

Steering committee:

• Salve Dahle (Chair), Director of Akvaplan-niva,
• Secretary: Reinhold Fieler, Akvaplan-niva,
• Jarle Aarbakke, Rector of University of Tromsø,
• Ivan C. Burkow, Director, Northern Research Institute,
• Stig Falk-Petersen, Professor ARCTOS,
• Ole Lindefjeld, Research Director ConocoPhillips,
• Kirsten Broch-Mathiesen, Department leader, The Research Council of Norway,
• Aslaug Mikkelsen, Rector of University of Stavanger,
• Rune Rafaelsen, Director, Barents Secretariate,
• Lars Otto Reiersen, Secretary for Arctic Assessment and Monitoring Programme,
• Gunn-Britt Retter, Sami council, Norway,
• Alf Håkon Hoel, Institute of Marine Research,
• Pia Svensgaard, Executive Councilor Troms County,
• Paul Wassmann, leader of ARCTOS,
• Jan Gunnar Winther, Director, Norwegian Polar Institute,
• Outi Snellman, Vice-President Administration, UArctic, Finland.

Scientific Committees

Convenors 

Sea ice and oceanographic perspectives:

• Peter Wadhams, ATP/University of Cambridge/UK;
• Nalan Koc, ARCTOS/Norwegian Polar Institute/Norway;
• Cecilie Mauritzen, Meteorological Institute/Norway

Marine ecosystems and fisheries:

• Susana Agusti, ATP/IMEDEA/Spain;
• Marit Reigstad, ARCTOS/University of Tromsø/Norway;
• Ken Drinkwater, Institute of Marine Research/Norway

Socioeconomic and institutional perspectives (social, economic and institutional perspectives):

• Aart de Zeeuw, ATP/Stockholm resilience Centre/Sweden/Tilburg University/Nederland;
• Alf Håkon Hoel, University of Tromsø/Institute of Marine Research/Norway;
• Christel Elvestad, Nordland Research Institute/Norway

People of the North:

• Bob Correll, Ealat/Global Environmental & Technology Foundation/USA;
• Grete Broderstad, ATP/University of Tromsø;
• Aqqualuk Lynge, ATP/Inuit Circumpolar Council/Greenland  

Advisory Board

Additional members have been invited and their name will be published once they have accepted.

• David Carlson, Director International Programme Office, International Polar Year, UK,
• Hans Corell, Ambassador (ret.), Former Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and the Legal Counsel of the United Nations, Sweden,
• Martin Fortier, Executive Director, ArcticNet Inc., Canada,
• Siri Margrethe Kalvig, Founder, Storm Weather Centre, Norway
• Anna Aabø, International Research Institute of Stavanger, Norway,
• Knut Ore, Chairman of Kings Bay, Norway
• Gunnar Sand, Managing Director, The University Centre in Svalbard, Spitzbergen - Norway,
• Unni M. Steinsmo, President - CEO, SINTEF, Norway,
• Tore Vorren , Dekan at University of Tromsø,
• Priscilla Wohl, The Northern Forum, Alaska - USA,
• Bente Aasjord, Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees, Norway.

Videos from Arctic Frontiers 2008 have been posted on YouTube.