Denmark's Increased Funding for the International Polar Year

The Danish government and the Danish Parliament have agreed to increase the contribution to the International Polar Year (IPY). On January 16, 2007 the Danish Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr. Helge Sander, announced that the earmarked grants for IPY would increase from DKK 16 million to DKK 76 million over the next two years. The IPY starts in March 2007 and ends in March 2009. The extra contribution brings the total amount that has been allocated to arctic research, including logistics and field stations, up to DKK 100 million. Of this amount DKK 16 million was already allocated for the IPY.

For the fiscal years 2007-2009, the Danish government has already allocated more than DKK 400 million to research activities in and around Greenland. The grants include research related to the continental shelf, a new research center and the activities in the arctic region carried out by the Danish Ministry of Environment. With this new funding, Denmark underlines its commitment to international climate research and the protection and supervision of the arctic environment. More than 300 Danish, Greenlandic and Faeroese scientists already participate in research consortiums with projects in and around Greenland.