UiB på Arctic Frontiers 2026
The University of Bergen (UiB) will make its mark at Arctic Frontiers in Tromsø with a number of relevant and exciting events.
By: Odd Vegard Kandal-Wright
Published: (Updated: )
Arctic Frontiers (external link) is an international conference that brings together academia, industry, politicians and representatives from local and Indigenous communities to discuss the Arctic region from a holistic perspective. In 2026 the conference includes, among other things, a panel with the foreign ministers of Norway, the EU and Greenland, as well as a range of scientific sessions and side events.
UiB is one of two universities that serve as senior partners in Arctic Frontiers and will participate this year with several side events and academic contributions to the programme.
– Interest in the Arctic is high and what is happening in the region is highly topical. But research on the Arctic and the High North has always been an important part of UiB’s work. Arctic Frontiers is an important arena for highlighting the extensive research at UiB that is relevant to the Arctic. This is more than a scientific conference – it is a place to meet across disciplines, with politicians, industry and citizens in a field that will become even more important in the years ahead, says Rector Margareth Hagen, who is also participating in this year’s conference.
UiB’s activities during Arctic Frontiers 2026:
Nature and Culture in the Anthropocene
Side event organised by UiB
Participants from UiB: Knut Rio (chair), Margareth Hagen, Lise Øvreås
Time: Monday 2 February, 09:00–10:30
Location: Margarinfabrikken 2, Clarion Hotel The Edge
Link for streaming: https://youtube.com/watch?v=1yvp38J_f6U?feature=share (external link)
Ocean Observational Pyramid
Participants from UiB: Ingvar Henne (committee chair) and Håkon Sandven
Time: Monday 2 February, 11:00–12:30
Location: Margarinfabrikken 3, Clarion Hotel The Edge
The Arctic Deep Sea
Side event organised by UiB
Participants from UiB: Steffen Leth Jørgensen (chair), Margareth Hagen, Eoghan P. Reeves, Ida Helene Steen, Mari Heggernes Eilertsen, Pedro A. Ribeiro
Time: Monday 2 February, 13:30–15:00
Location: Arbeidskontoret 1, Clarion Hotel The Edge
Link for streaming: https://youtube.com/watch?v=pq8t3JPiii0?feature=share (external link)
High Tide for Arctic Preparedness
Participants from UiB: Christoph Trattner (committee member), Ole R. Øvretveit
Time: Monday 2 February, 11:00–12:30
Location: Margarinfabrikken 1, Clarion Hotel The Edge
Seabed Minerals - Where Are We Today?
Side event organised by Akvaplan-niva in collaboration with Adepth and UiB
Participant from UiB: Endre Tvinnereim
Time: Tuesday 3 February, 09:00–10:30
Location: Importkompaniet, Clarion Hotel The Edge
Academia in Times of Geopolitical Change
Side event organised by UiB
Participants from UiB: Tor Eldevik, Lise Øvreås
Time: Tuesday 3 February, 15:30–17:00
Location: Margarinfabrikken, Clarion Hotel The Edge
Link for streaming: https://youtube.com/watch?v=6ZdtaUF4zfY?feature=share (external link)
Breaking with colonial practices and strengthening collaboration with Greenland
Open event organised by UiB
Participants from UiB: Ole R. Øvretveit, Kerim Nisancioglu
Time: Tuesday 3 February, 19:00–20:00
Location: Direksjonen, Mack Brewery, Storgata 4
Hva skjer når EU stemmer nei til Norge?
Open event organised by UiB
Participants from UiB: Tor Eldevik, Endre Tvinnereim
Time: Wednesday 4 February, 18:00–19:30
Location: Amtmandens Eftf.
Arctic Ocean 2050
Side event organised by the Polhavet 2050 consortium
Participants from UiB: Jakob Dörr, Tor Eldevik
Time: Thursday 5 February, 11:00–12:30
Location: Margarinfabrikken, Clarion Hotel The Edge
BIG PICTURE: Stories from the Coast
Participant from UiB: Jakob Dörr
Time: Thursday 5 February, 13:30–14:45
Location: Margarinfabrikken, Clarion Hotel The Edge
Find the complete programme for Arctic Frontiers 2026 (external link).