News

On Friday, 18 September, Minister for Foreign Affairs Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir visited Borgir, where a renewed cooperation agreement between the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network (IACN) and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs was formally signed.

On Thursday 3 September, parliamentarians from the West Nordic Council visited the University of Akureyri (UNAK) to learn about the diverse range of Arctic research, projects and activities taking place on the University campus.

Dr Maria Ackrén, Director of the Stefansson Arctic Institute, recently authored the chapter "Greenland and COVID-19: Small Resources, Delayed Transmission, and Trust", which was published in the book Nordic Crisis Management: Well-Performing Governance During COVID-19.

From 22–26 June, the Science School for Kids was held for the twelfth time at the University of Akureyri. The week-long program is designed for children aged 11–13 and offers participants the opportunity to learn about science, research, and the university's diverse activities.

Scientists at the Stefansson Arctic Institute – Prof. Joan Nymand Larsen and Dr Jón Haukur Ingimundarson - participated in the first general assembly and kick-off meeting of SustainMe (Sustainable Human Use of the Arctic Marine Environment) which was held at the Danish Meterological Institute, DMI, on June 17-18.

From the 28th to the 29th of April, Helga Númadóttir at the Stefansson Arctic Institute participated in a two-day workshop for early-career researchers at the Moesgaard Museum, outside Aarhus, Denmark.

On May 7, the University of Akureyri and the Arctic institutions on campus received a visit from the Greenland Representative in Reykjavík, Karsten Peter Jensen.

From 21 to 23 April 2026, the Stefansson Arctic Institute joined research teams from across Europe and beyond in Ponta Delgada (São Miguel, Azores) for the launch events of BiodivTransform, the European Biodiversity Partnership's new joint research call on Biodiversity and Transformative Change.

On April 7-14, Joan Nymand Larsen, together with two co-researchers in the ILLUQ permafrost project conducted fieldwork in Ilulissat, Disko Bay, West Greenland, on the impact of permafrost thaw on cultural ecosystem services.