The European Polar Consortium
24 May 2005 - Articles, Logistics
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© EPC / EPC
The European Polar Consortium (EPC) is the brainchild of the European Polar Board and represents the next step towards the development of a 'European polar entity' that would enable Europe to maximize and direct its critical mass at a global level.
The EPC is composed of 25 ministries, funding agencies and national polar agencies from 19 member countries, including Russia, and was launched in March this year.
The EPC's brief is to develop a four year strategic plan and timetable, under the auspices of the EU, which would see European nations, including new EU members, increasingly collaborate in their activities in the polar regions. The resulting common access to infrastructure and transnational programme development would further strengthen European research and Europe's voice in international polar forums. The EPC is supported by ERA-NET (the EU scheme promoting coordinated European research) under the EU Sixth Framework Programme for research and technological development (FP6).
Through mapping Europe's strengths and breaking down legal and administrative barriers to cooperation between research agencies, the Consortium expects to promote productive synergies in the major areas of European scientific expertise, including climatology, ice coring science and new frontier research areas such as astronomy, astrophysics and life in extreme environments.
By: Jean de Pomereu
