The recent changes of the Arctic and the increased economic activity in the region have triggered a demand for accurate sea-ice and weather predictions, for information on the status of the Arctic Ocean, and for complex predictions of future scenarios. To address these issues of particular environmental and societal concern and to develop policy recommendations for a sustainable usage of the Arctic Ocean and its resources, the Arctic science community needs world-class research icebreakers (RIs) to access the ice-covered Arctic Ocean. The current shortage of availability of RIs and a not optimally coordinated polar research fleet impedes Europe’s capacity to investigate this region. There is thus an urgent need for providing European researchers with better RI capacities for the Arctic. ARICE aims at reaching this goal with the existing polar fleet by: 1) Networking ARICE will develop strategies to ensure the optimal use of the existing polar research vessels at a European and international level, working towards an International Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium which will share and jointly fund operational ship time on the available RIs. 2) Trans-national access (TNA) ARICE will provide TNA to six key European and international RIs for European scientists, based on scientific excellence of submitted proposals: - PRV Polarstern, Germany - IB Oden, Sweden - RV Kronprins Haakon, Norway (under construction, to be operative in 2017) - RRS Sir David Attenborough, United Kingdom (under construction, to be operative in 2018) - CCGS Amundsen, Canada - RV Sikuliaq, United States of America 3) Joint research activities ARICE will improve the RIs’ services by partnering with maritime industry on a “ships and platforms of opportunity” programme and by exploring into new technologies that will lead to an improvement of ship-based and autonomous measurements in the Arctic Ocean. ARICE will implement virtual and remote access of data via an innovative 3D Virtual Icebreaker.

The rapid changes occurring in the Polar Regions are significantly influencing global climate with consequences for global society. European polar research has contributed critical knowledge to identifying the processes behind these rapid changes but, in contrast to lower latitudes, datasets from the Polar Regions are still insufficient to fully understand and more effectively predict the effects of change on our climate and society. This situation can only be improved by a more holistic integrated scientific approach, a higher degree of coordination of polar research and closer cooperation with all relevant actors on an international level as requested in the Horizon 2020 work programme. The objectives of EU-PolarNet are to establish an ongoing dialogue between policymakers, business and industry leaders, local communities and scientists to increase mutual understanding and identify new ways of working that will deliver economic and societal benefits. The results of this dialogue will be brought together in a plan for an Integrated European Research Programme that will be co-designed with all relevant stakeholders and coordinated with the activities of many other polar research nations beyond Europe, including Canada and the United States, with which consortium partners already have productive links. This consortium brings together well-established, world-class, multi-disciplinary research institutions whose science programmes are internationally recognised for excellence. Alongside these scientific capabilities, the national programmes represented in this proposal possess a unique array of infrastructure and operational expertise to support science in both Polar Regions. The consortium is uniquely well positioned to significantly enhance Europe’s capabilities to undertake state of the art science and cost-efficiently operate infrastructure in the hostile polar environments.

With communities and ecosystems subject to multiple environmental, climatic, cultural and economic stresses, the Polar Regions truly represent the sentinel of climate change. Already now, changes in the Polar Regions are changing the lives of polar residents, and are affecting the well-being of many polar communities. Furthermore, the state of the Polar systems has far reaching effects on atmosphere, ocean and land including the change of weather pattern in Europe. Polar issues have been therefore rising up the political agenda across Europe over the past decade and the European Union and its executive body, the EC, attribute an increasing importance to science and innovation in the high latitudes and are major investors in Polar research. There is therefore an increasing need to further develop the coordination of Polar research actions in Europe to give evidence-based advice to decision makers. This must include a continued involvement of all relevant stake- and right holders to develop transdisciplinary and transnational projects to tackle societally relevant problems connected to the Polar Regions. EU-PolarNet 2 will provide a coordination platform to co-develop strategies to advance the European Polar Research action and its contribution to the policy-making processes. It will operate as such a platform for the 4-years of the project´s lifetime. Once EU-PolarNet 2 ends, the gained experience, the established network and the developed tools to facilitate better coordination and co-design of Polar research actions will be transferred to the European Polar Coordination Office to be sustained. The EU-PolarNet 2 consortium consist of 25 partners representing all European and associated countries with Polar research programmes and activities. This allows EU-PolarNet 2 to significantly improve the coordination and co-design of European Polar research actions but also to provide evidence-based advice on behalf of the whole European Polar community.