More than 40 organisations unite to strengthen Arctic observing and knowledge sharing
A new €8.5 million EU-funded project is bringing together more than 40 organisations from 16 countries to improve how the rapidly changing Arctic is observed, understood and monitored.
The four-year Beyond Arctic PASSION project officially launched on 1 September 2026, bringing together scientists, Indigenous Peoples' organisations, local communities, research infrastructures, operational services and other partners from Europe, North America and Asia.
The project aims to strengthen coordination between existing observing activities and make Arctic information more accessible, relevant and useful for the people and organisations who depend on it.
“The need for improved Arctic observations has never been greater,” said Dr Michael Karcher, co-lead of Beyond Arctic PASSION at the Alfred Wegener Institute. “As the Arctic warms nearly four times faster than the global average, reliable observations and trusted information are essential for understanding change and ensuring that communities, policymakers, academia and industry have the knowledge they need to respond.”
Dr Jeremy Wilkinson, co-lead at the British Antarctic Survey, added: “No single organisation or country can meet this challenge alone. By bringing together scientific expertise, Indigenous Knowledge and local knowledge, Beyond Arctic PASSION will help create a more coordinated, trusted, accessible and equitable observing system.”
Connecting knowledge across the Arctic
Despite decades of work to develop a coordinated Arctic Observing System, observations and knowledge remain fragmented across countries, infrastructures and data systems. Beyond Arctic PASSION will build on previous initiatives, including Arctic PASSION and INTAROS, to strengthen connections between these different sources of information.
The project will bring together observations from satellites, research vessels and automated monitoring systems with Indigenous-led and community-based observing programmes. It will also work to improve data sharing and knowledge exchange so that Arctic information is easier to discover, access and use.
INTERACT is among the partners and contributes to the project's work on Shared Essential Polar Variables. The wider task will assess the current state of monitoring, identify important data gaps and develop recommendations for improving observations.
The diversity of the consortium is central to the project. It includes three Indigenous Peoples' organisations, the Saami Council, Inuit Circumpolar Council-Greenland and Inuit Circumpolar Council-Canada, alongside universities, national research institutes, operational services and organisations working on policy, communication, inclusion and regional governance.
Beyond Arctic PASSION is coordinated by the British Antarctic Survey. The project's kick-off meeting will take place at BAS in Cambridge, UK, from 27 to 29 October 2026.
The project has a €8.5 million EU contribution and will run for 48 months, with partners from 16 countries, including six Arctic States.
Beyond Arctic PASSION is funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe, Grant Agreement No. 101295797.
Further information: www.beyond-arcticpassion.eu
