A nonprofit coordinating academic research on the Arctic plans to shut down as its federal funding dries up. The Arctic Research Consortium of the United States says it plans to wind down operations at the end of this month.
The group announced the decision in an email to members late last month, saying the National Science Foundation’s decision to scrap plans for a grant that provides the bulk of its funding left it no choice but to close its doors.
The Arctic Research Consortium brings together scientists working with universities, government agencies and nonprofits to collaborate and share their findings. Researcher Michael Walsh, a nonresident senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute who has worked with the organization, said the shutdown comes at a critical time as the federal government seeks input on a new five-year plan for government-funded Arctic research
"That new National Plan for Arctic Research is going to have to answer some of these big questions," he said. "What are the policy drivers? What are the priority areas? What should, you know, the US government focus on supporting in the context of Arctic research?"
The group also connects thousands of Arctic researchers and provides grants that allow early-career academics to travel to other institutions or conferences Walsh said. Eliminating those opportunities will leave scientists isolated from one another and stunt young researchers’ professional development, he said.
A spokesperson for the National Science Foundation confirmed the grant funding much of the consortium's activities would end in 2026 but declined to say why the agency scrapped plans to reissue it. The spokesperson said NSF would remain engaged with the Interagency Arctic Policy Research Committee, a federal working group that prepares the five-year Arctic research plan.
"NSF remains committed to supporting national interests in the Arctic through our continued leadership of IARPC and through collaborations with partners, including the research community, to support innovative scientific research about the Earth's polar regions," the NSF spokesperson said via email.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he would like to expand the U.S.’s presence in the Arctic by acquiring the self-governing island of Greenland from Denmark. But Walsh said the administration has not matched that apparent interest with investment.
"One would expect that what would follow from that would be a proliferation of Arctic studies centers to be able to develop the capacities and the resources and the knowledge the United States needs in order to be able to advance our national interests in those areas," Walsh said. "We haven't seen that yet."
