European Polar Board

What European Polar Board does

The European Polar Board (EPB) is an independent, non-profit coordination organisation established in 1995 by the European Science Foundation and operating as a standalone entity since 2015. Headquartered in Umeå, Sweden, with its Secretariat formerly hosted by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) in The Hague, EPB coordinates and advises on Arctic and Antarctic scientific research cooperation and policy across 31 member organisations spanning research institutes, logistics operators, funding agencies, scientific academies, and government ministries in 22 European countries. Members meet in a twice-annual Plenary and collaborate through Action Groups on research infrastructure, international cooperation, policy advice, and the environmental impacts of polar research and logistics.

EPB's core digital product is Polardex, launched in April 2022 and underpinned by the European Polar Infrastructure Database (EPID), which catalogues 64 European polar facilities (32 Arctic, 32 Antarctic), 16 research vessels from 12 countries, and integrates the SOOS DueSouth logistics planning tool. Complementary outputs include the European Polar Coordination Office (EPCO, a legacy of EU-PolarNet HORIZON projects), the EU Polar Cluster (a permanent network with APECS, SIOS, and EuroGOOS), strategy documents (2023-2027 and updated 2025-2027), the Synthesis Report on Environmental Impacts of Polar Research, and the EU-PolarNet 2 White Paper with 80 policy recommendations. EPB does not sell products or services; it is funded through membership contributions and EU-funded projects, and functions as a public-good coordination body rather than a commercial enterprise.

EPB operates with a small Secretariat of approximately four staff plus a volunteer, including an Executive Secretary/Head of EPCO, an EPCO Officer, a Project Coordinator at the Arctic Centre at Umeå University, and administrative support. The organisation maintains close institutional ties to the European Commission (DG RTD, DG MARE, EEAS), the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the British Antarctic Survey, and a broad network of national polar operators. Its 30th anniversary was marked in 2025 alongside a renewed FP10 advocacy campaign signed by over 900 professionals.

Name

European Polar Board

Legal name

European Polar Board

Website

https://europeanpolarboard.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The European Polar Board (EPB) is an independent, non-profit organisation that coordinates Arctic and Antarctic scientific research and policy across 31 member organisations in 22 European countries, operating a Secretariat of around four staff in Umeå, Sweden.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Coordination Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Administration & Compliance (Sponsored Programs, IRB/REB) (EDADAKAH)

Keywords

• Polar research coordination
• Research infrastructure database
• Intergovernmental science cooperation
• Polar science policy advice
• Scientific advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Umeå

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Organizational funding and membership support: EPB operates as an independent organization established in 1995, with its Secretariat hosted by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) in The Hague. The organization is funded through membership contributions from European research institutes, funding agencies, scientific academies, and government ministries. The organization does not generate commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The European Polar Board (EPB) is an independent, member-based organization that coordinates and advises on Arctic and Antarctic scientific research across Europe. It brings together 31 member organizations from 22 countries, including research institutes, logistics operators, funding agencies, scientific academies, and government ministries, to improve coordination, optimize infrastructure use, share information, run joint initiatives, and provide independent scientific advice to policymakers. Its core digital offerings include the Polardex platform for polar infrastructure discovery and logistics planning.

Product overview

The European Polar Board operates as a coordination organization offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services for polar research coordination. The core digital offerings include Polardex (a digital platform for polar infrastructure discovery and logistics planning), the European Polar Infrastructure Database (EPID - the foundational dataset underpinning Polardex), the European Polar Infrastructure Catalogue (a published summary of 64 polar facilities), and Due South (a logistics planning tool integrated into Polardex). Additional offerings include the EU Polar Cluster (a network of collaborative EU-funded polar projects), the European Polar Coordination Office (EPCO - for long-term coordination), and various policy publications including synthesis reports and white papers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Polardex: A digital platform launched by the European Polar Board and partners to streamline the discovery and planning of polar infrastructure and logistics for researchers, policymakers, and logistics managers.
• European Polar Infrastructure Database (EPID)
• European Polar Coordination Office (EPCO)

Products and services

• Polardex A digital platform launched in April 2022 by the European Polar Board and partners to streamline the discovery and planning of polar infrastructure and logistics. Designed for researchers, policymakers, and logistics managers, it offers centralised access to detailed information on Arctic and Antarctic research infrastructures, including field stations, laboratories, vessels, aircraft, and shelters, with logistical data integration.
• European Polar Infrastructure Database (EPID)

Quantifiable outcome

• 64 European polar facilities documented and accessible through Polardex platform
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dutch Research Council (NWO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015NWO hosts the EPB Secretariat, providing institutional support and infrastructure for the organization's operations. This hosting arrangement has been in place since EPB became an independent entity in 2015.
• Arctic Centre at Umeå UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject coordinator Irma Olofsson is based at the Arctic Centre at Umeå University, providing administrative and coordination support to EPB. The Arctic Centre is also an EPB member organization.
• British Antarctic Survey (BAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAS serves as UKRI/NERC representative in EPB and hosted the Spring Plenary 2026 at Cambridge headquarters. Joint Executive Committee meetings held with SCAR.
• Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDueSouth logistics planning tool was developed by SOOS and integrated into Polardex platform in 2021.
• EU-PolarNetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPB leads WP6 in EU-PolarNet 2 and collaborates on other work packages. EU-PolarNet contributed to the European Polar Infrastructure Database and Catalogue.
• European Commission (DG RTD, DG MARE, EEAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPB meets regularly with European Commission officials and EEAS representatives to discuss polar research priorities, FP10 funding, EU Arctic Policy, and Ocean Pact.
• Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Executive Committee exchanges held regularly. Collaboration on IPY-5 preparations, policy priorities, and international scientific cooperation in polar regions.
• Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerData contributor to the European Polar Infrastructure Database and catalogue development.
• International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic (INTERACT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerINTERACT contributed data to the European Polar Infrastructure Database and EPB participates in INTERACT station manager network.
• Forum of Arctic Research Operators (FARO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerData contributor to European Polar Infrastructure Database.
• EUROFLEETS2minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed data on research vessels to the European Polar Infrastructure Database.
• Mercator Ocean InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPB delegation met with Mercator Ocean International at Digital Ocean Week to discuss Copernicus Marine Service and European Digital Twin Ocean developments for polar regions.
• EMODnetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPB met with EMODnet colleagues at Digital Ocean Week to discuss ongoing developments in polar observations and digital ocean services.
• Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPermanent member of EU Polar Cluster, working together on polar research coordination and dissemination.
• SIOS (Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPermanent member of EU Polar Cluster, contributing to polar observation coordination.
• EuroGOOScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPermanent member of EU Polar Cluster, working on ocean observation integration.
• SCAR Plastics in Polar Environments Action GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPB Action Group on Environmental Impacts collaborates with SCAR on minimizing plastic use and waste in polar research.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP): COMNAP coordinates national Antarctic program operators and logistics. EPB partners with COMNAP as a data contributor and shares overlapping institutional membership in the European polar ecosystem.
• International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic (INTERACT): INTERACT coordinates Arctic field stations and contributed infrastructure data to EPB's Polardex platform. It plays a comparable role for Arctic terrestrial research infrastructure across Europe.
• International Arctic Science Committee (IASC): IASC is the non-governmental organization coordinating Arctic scientific research across nations. It is the closest Arctic-side peer to EPB, with overlapping membership and complementary coordination mandates.
• EU-PolarNet 2: EU-PolarNet 2 is the EU-funded coordinating network for polar research in which EPB leads work packages. It is the immediate predecessor program whose legacy EPCO mechanism EPB now hosts.
• Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS): APECS represents early-career polar researchers and is a permanent EU Polar Cluster member. It works alongside EPB on polar research coordination, education, and dissemination.
• SIOS (Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System): SIOS is an integrated Arctic Earth observing system and a permanent EU Polar Cluster member alongside EPB. It coordinates Arctic observation infrastructure in a manner comparable to EPB's broader coordination role.
• Forum of Arctic Research Operators (FARO): FARO is a forum of operators managing Arctic research stations and logistics. It is a data contributor to EPB's European Polar Infrastructure Database and serves a comparable logistics-coordination role for the Arctic.
• Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR): SCAR is the international body coordinating Antarctic scientific research. It directly parallels EPB's role for the Antarctic, and EPB maintains formal collaboration including joint Executive Committee exchanges.

Broad incumbents

• Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI): AWI is a large German research institute operating major polar infrastructure and is an EPB member. While it operates facilities rather than coordinating across Europe, it is the kind of broad incumbent EPB represents at the European level.

Regional players

• Nordic Council of Ministers: The Nordic Council of Ministers funds and coordinates Nordic-level research cooperation, including Arctic issues. It overlaps with EPB's coordination role at a regional level but does not cover the full European scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBZM37l_50Hb0g2AYcgqAsg/feature
• Xx.com/EuPolarBoard
• Facebookfacebook.com/EuropeanPolarBoard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-polar-board

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about European Polar Board