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  • Science conducted in and around polar and high-altitude regions is critical to understanding the evolution of the Earth’s climate.
  • Due to the complex logistics, challenging access and difficult safety conditions in these extreme environments, the Swiss polar community requires specific competencies and dedicated support.
  • The Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) offers tailored support to scientists based in Switzerland who work in polar regions and remote high-altitude environments.

NEWS

SAVE THE DATE

Swiss Polar Day 2026
9 September @Noda BCVS, Sion

This year’s Swiss Polar Day will take place on 9 September in Sion. This event is the annual gathering of the Swiss polar science community and includes national and international keynotes, networking opportunities and updates on recent developments in polar research.
We invite you to save the date and bookmark this page for future updates on the programme and registration.

We look forward to welcoming you in Sion!

10 years of partnerships and innovation
at the service of polar and high-altitude research
9 September @Noda BCVS, Sion

As part of its 10th anniversary celebrations in 2026, the Swiss Polar Institute is hosting a festive evening to celebrate a decade of partnerships and innovation in polar and high-altitude research. This event will take place immediately following the Swiss Polar Day 2026.

The detailed programme will be published in due course on the event page. In the meantime, we invite you to book your calendars.

We very much look forward to welcoming you on this special occasion.

Explore all SPI funded projects

Every year the Swiss Polar Institute awards competitive grants to scientific projects in the Arctic, Antarctic and remote high-altitude regions. This section offers an overview of the scientific projects supported by the Swiss Polar Institute in polar and high-altitude regions.

SHOW PROJECTS

WHAT WE DO

Funding

Funding for field access, logistics and technology

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Collaboration

International Collaboration and Agreements

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Events

Information events, scientific workshops and conferences

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Outreach

swiss polar class & collaboration with museums

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Expeditions

Expeditions organised by the SPI

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Services

Courses and support measures for fieldwork

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Training

ACCESS TO FIELD AND SUMMER SCHOOLS

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Featured Images

The Swiss Polar Class Festival is getting bigger! Under its new name, Swiss Polar Festival, the third edition from 26 to 29 November 2025 offers a wide range of activities and events for all ages, in collaboration with cultural venues in Sion.
More information and free registration on the Swiss Polar Class website →
© Steven Schlosser, all rights reserved
Image Gallery
The Swiss Polar Class Festival is getting bigger! Under its new name, Swiss Polar Festival, the third edition from 26 to 29 November 2025 offers a wide range of activities and events for all ages, in collaboration with cultural venues in Sion.
More information and free registration on the Swiss Polar Class website →
© Steven Schlosser, all rights reserved
Image Gallery
The Swiss Polar Class Festival is getting bigger! Under its new name, Swiss Polar Festival, the third edition from 26 to 29 November 2025 offers a wide range of activities and events for all ages, in collaboration with cultural venues in Sion.
More information and free registration on the Swiss Polar Class website →
© Steven Schlosser, all rights reserved
Image Gallery
SPI Technogrant: Prototype for a low-cost and robust electrical resistivity tomography monitoring system for remote permafrost environments
© Christian Hauck, all rights reserved
Image Gallery
© Evan Miles, all rights reserved
Image Gallery
Polar Access Fund: Artificial ice reservoir (ice stupa) built to enhance water management in Ladakh
© Suryanarayanan Balasubramanian, all rights reserved
Image Gallery
Polar Access Fund: Challenging access to fieldwork site on a debris-covered glacier in the Garhwal mountain range in northern India
© Marin Kneib, all rights reserved
Image Gallery
SPI Exploratory Grant: Fieldwork on vegetation patterns above Zackenberg Research Station in Greenland
© Christophe Randin, all rights reserved
Image Gallery
Polar Access Fund: iceberg fill the Narsarsuaq fjord in Greenland.
© Hanna Rosinger, all rights reserved
Image Gallery
A Polar Access Fund grantee is recovering GPS data in order to monitor a landslide near the Portage glacier (Alaska).
© Raphael Moser, all rights reserved
Image Gallery
Field & Summer School: International Geochronology Summer School, Switzerland
© Giovanna Ceppi, all rights reserved
Image Gallery

Contact

Swiss Polar Institute
Route des Ronquos 86
1950 Sion
Switzerland

+41 21 693 76 74
+41 21 693 10 74

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