Stefansson Arctic Institute at UArctic Congress 2026
Last week, Maria Ackrén and Helga Númadóttir from the Stefansson Arctic Institute participated in the UArctic Congress 2026 in the Faroe Islands, together with a large group of colleagues from the University of Akureyri and Arctic institutions on campus. The event was the largest conference ever hosted in the Faroe Islands, with nearly 1.400 participants from around 40 countries.
The UArctic Congress is held every two years in the country chairing the Arctic Council. The Kingdom of Denmark, which includes Greenland and the Faroe Islands, assumed the chairmanship from Norway on May 12, 2025. The program’s theme followed the Kingdom’s Chairship priorities, focusing on Indigenous peoples and northern communities, climate change, the oceans, biodiversity, and sustainable economic development and international cooperation. Global affairs and the growing international interest in the Arctic were also in the spotlight. Additionally, the Ocean Connectivity Conference was embedded in the congress as part of the Kingdom’s official program as Chair of the Arctic Council.
University of the Arctic (UArctic)
A key priority in Arctic cooperation is to strengthen collaboration among Nordic universities in order to advance education and research on social and environmental processes related to sustainable development. The University of the Arctic (UArctic), officially established in 2001, is founded on this principle and has over time become the most important network of universities and research institutions in the Arctic. All the Nordic countries contributed to the preparatory work that led to the formation of the UArctic network together with higher education institutions in the United States, Canada and Indigenous organizations across the circumpolar region.
Both the Stefansson Arctic Institute and the University of Akureyri are among the founding members of UArctic and have been actively engaged in its work from the outset. The Stefansson Arctic Institute, for example, has developed two courses in Arctic studies that are taught at the University of Akureyri, serving as Icelandic and West Nordic contributions to UArctic. Together with five other courses, they form part of the Circumpolar Studies programme at UArctic, available to students across UArctic member institutions. Dr. Jón Haukur Ingimundarson at the Stefansson Arctic Institute played a leading role in its development, collaborating with leading experts in circumpolar studies at UArctic member institutions, and as part of this program, teaching in Arctic studies at the University of Akureyri began in 2004.
A Diverse Programme Beyond the Conference Halls
At the UArctic Congress 2026, nearly 200 parallel sessions took place with presentations, workshops, panels, and roundtable discussions. In addition, close to 200 scientific posters were displayed and presented at the conference venue. Beyond the academic programme, the congress offered a number of cultural events, providing participants with opportunities to experience Faroese society and culture. To welcome participants, the Faroese airline Atlantic Airways hosted a reception at the national stadium on the evening before the conference began. The congress opening ceremony featured a performance by the Faroese singer Eivør, and a special street festival was held in downtown Tórshavn for conference guests, showcasing Faroese cuisine and live local music. The congress concluded with a traditional Faroese chain dance and a closing reception at the Tjarnir conference arena in Hoyvík.
The international landscape has changed significantly since the University of the Arctic was formally established in 2001. The need for interdisciplinary and multinational collaboration across disciplines and national borders is increasingly important for addressing complex global challenges. It was therefore particularly rewarding to gather with colleagues and leading researchers from across the Arctic in the Faroe Islands and to engage in constructive dialogue on the future of the region.
Further information is available in a news article from the University of Akureyri (in Icelandic): Fjölmenn þátttaka frá HA á stærstu vísindaráðstefnu um norðurslóðir sem haldin hefur verið til þessa | Háskólinn á Akureyri
More photos on the university’s Facebook page: Fjölmennur hópur frá HA og... - Háskólinn á Akureyri | Facebook
