Arctic Centre Annual Report 2025

Annual Report 2025

Editor Anne Raja-Hanhela

Layout & Design Reetta Linna

Cover photo Matti Kantola

Printed by University of Lapland Printing Centre, Rovaniemi, Finland 2026

The 7th Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit conference was organized in early May with around 250 international participants. Main theme of the conference this year was the elements of Arctic security. photo marko junttila

Contents From the Director Expertise

6

Publications

7

Arktikum

8

4

Events and Seminars

12

Our long-term service advisor Pertti Leinonen who has been the heart and soul of the Arctic Centre for over fifteen years was sent off to well-deserved retirement with emotional festivities in November. photo sampo sanaksenaho

The Forum for Research into Ice Shelf Processes (FRISP) coordinates the community engaged in research on the glaciological, oceanic and atmospheric processes governing the behaviour of ice shelves that are key to the ice sheet contribution to sea level change. FRISP annual workshop was organized at the Arctic Centre in June. photo anne raja - hanhela Arctic Centre’s community day was held at the Apukka Resort on the first day of April The programme included both development workshops and outdoor activities in the beautiful spring weather. For some visiting members of our work community ice fishing and snowshoeing were completely new experiences! photo anne raja - hanhela

From the Director photo santeri happonen

4

A year of sailing in strong winds young talents to our excellent Arctic Centre team.

In 2025 the Arctic Centre sailed in strong winds – but Our efforts for the new Science Centre exhibition steadily. We faced rapid changes, and changes seem “Arctic Opposites” (opened Dec 6, 2024) have borne to be a permanent feature of life nowadays. It causes fruit. The number of visitors to the Arktikum elevated needs to adapt in our private lives, but also House and our exhibition is steadily in the business we do. Arctic Centre’s rising, with 172 661 visitors in business is to focus on the changes in 2025. This is another clear sign the North with a holistic approach.

This constant project that there is a great demand for As the Director, I could not be flow enables us to employ science-based information and prouder of our staff tackling all our talented scientists and communication about the Arctic. the challenges they face. Not even recruit more young In the heart of all we do is only have we received notable talents to our excellent our science communications research funding, but we Arctic Centre team. team, awarded as the Science have been active and visible in communicator of the Year 2025 in multiple fora. We organised the 6th Finland by the Finnish Association of Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit Conference in Science Journalists. Congratulations!

May. We were vital partners in the EU Due to space limitations, several other Arctic Forum in Levi in June. Our opening towards significant achievements cannot be listed here but the rising global south, research co-operation with many highlights of our year 2025 are included on the the Third Pole region got into full swing in September, pages of this annual report. with the Arctic Centre as a co-organiser of the Second I am truly grateful for all the staff of the Arctic Centre Inter-Polar Conference held in Kathmandu, Nepal. and all our partners. Together we can sail safely and As some major projects such as EU Horizon2020 steadily even through the strongest winds of change, funded CHARTER have finished, new ones have thus leading the way to a secure and sustainable future started. This constant project flow enables us to in the Arctic. employ our talented scientists and even recruit more

Johanna 5

Expertise Visiting personnel

53

12

38

researchers

trainees

projects

• from 14 countries • with average 8,5 months stay

• from 6 countries • with average 3 months stay

More information:

research.ulapland.fi

Total funding 4 611 775 €*

Person years of work 46,48

Basic budget 2 678 338 € / 58 %

Researchers 73 %

External funding 1 933 437 € / 42 %

Others 27 %

*Does not include costs of premises and other general expenses

6

The Arctic Centre science communications unit was granted the Science Communication Award by the Finnish Association of Science Editors and Journalists. The award was conferred for pioneering and exceptionally wide-ranging work in Finland and internationally. photo eeli eskola

Publications 125

Scientific publications

29

Professional publications

27

Publications for general public

The Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law celebrated its 40th anniversary with a half-day seminar in September. For decades at the forefront of research on the complex interplay between law, the environment, and the rights of minorities and Indigenous peoples in the Arctic is a great accomplishment! photo sampo sanaksenaho

More information:

research.ulapland.fi/en/organisations/arktinen-keskus

Blogs Kaikuja Arktikselta – Arctic Echoes www.arcticcentre.org/kaikuja Arctic Anthropology arcticanthropology.org Critical Arctic Studies www.criticalarcticstudies.com 7

Arktikum 2025

172 661

152 672 128 454

visitors in Arktikum

134 470

65 % from abroad

107 238 109 301 91 143 77 653

2011 72 945 visitors

103 230

94 711

73 776 72 216 57 571 50 335

8

172 661 visitors

In addition to international tourists, the renovated permanent exhibition “Arctic Opposites” at the Arktikum Science Centre has also attracted many local residents and school groups.

In November on Children’s Day at Work the children of the Arctic Centre staff members visited the office and exhibition. photo santeri happonen

9

Science Centre Exhibitions Permanent exhibition: ▪ ARCTIC OPPOSITES

Temporary exhibitions: ▪ MAPPED BEAUTY Exhibition of old maps | 1.2.2024–28.2.2025 ▪ NATURE PHOTOS OF THE YEAR | 25.3.–1.6.2025 ▪ BEAUTY AND THE BOG Photo exhibition of the of the endangered moss species | 15.7.–31.8.2025 ▪ WE MAKE THE FUTURE! Comic strip exhibition on utopias of a climate-responsible world 2035 | 11.8.–20.10.2025 ▪ TALKING NORTH Landline telephone in Lapland | 19.9.2025–31.5.2026 ▪ THROUGH THE EYES OF THE GYRFALCON Photo Exhibition on the effects of climate change in the North | 2.12.2025–29.3.2026

In 2025 Arktikum welcomed a total of 172,661 visitors which is again a new record. Increase to previous year was over 20,000 customers. In just over ten years, the annual number of visitors has increased by 100,000.

Sixty-five percent of customers are international. photo marko junttila The exhibition “Talking North” told the history of landline telephones in Lapland. The exhibition was part of a research project funded by the Kone Foundation “Telecommunications infrastructure, time, community, and the Arctic environment”. photo anne raja - hanhela

10

“We make the future! Utopias of a climate-responsible world 2035 – Arctic snapshots” comic strip exhibition was on display during the Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit Conference in May and later again in autumn at the Arktikum corridor. Using the Arctic region as a case, the exhibition represented three alternative climate-responsible visions for global politics and economy up to 2035. photo marko junttila

11

Events and Seminars ▪ ARCTIC PATHWAYS TO THE FUTURE CHARTER-project seminar in Helsinki | 8.1.2025 ▪ DOCUMENTARY SCREENING “BAD PRESS” Organized in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki, City of Rovaniemi and the American Film Showcase | 27.1.2025

Science Slam is a playful competition where researchers of the University of Lapland compete against each other in popularizing science. Winner of 2025 Science Slam organized in October was Tanja Joona together with her Just Green Transition research team. photo ville rinne Premiere of the short documentary” About Ice” took place in November.

It is part of Planetocene2025 research project and explores the role and agency of ice in shaping Arctic futures by following a sailboat journey through the Northwest Passage. The film is created by Sohvi Kangasluoma, Juho Karhu and Mikko-Pekka Karlin. photo sampo sanaksenaho

12

▪ ARCTIC CAFÉ: SCIENCE, RELIGION, AND THE SUSTAINABILITY TRANSITION | 11.2.2025 ▪ ROVANIEMI ARCTIC SPIRIT The sixth Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit Conference with theme “Elements of Arctic Security” | 5.–7.5.2025 ▪ OPEN DOORS IN ARKTIKUM Open house and activities for exhibition visitors 17.5. and 6.9.2025 ▪ FAIR AND RESPONSIBLE DECISION-MAKING IN LAPLAND Project kick off seminar | 26.5.2025 ▪ FORUM FOR RESEARCH INTO ICE SHELF PROCESSES (FRISP) International research seminar | 16.–18.6.2025 ▪ THE EU ARCTIC FORUM REBOUND-project co-organized the high-level Arctic dialogue in Levi, Kittilä | 26.–27.6.2025 ▪ THE SECOND INTER-POLAR CONFERENCE Conference explored the shared challenges of a rapidly changing cryosphere in the Arctic and the Third Pole in Kathmandu, Nepal | 3.–5.9.2025

Schools from Rovaniemi area participated again actively to the Science Week in September.

Workshops were organized on topics such as autumn colors, space and planets, lego robots ang penguins. photo anne raja - hanhela

13

▪ SCIENCE WEEK Science workshops for school children organized in cooperation with several partners | 10.–19.9.2025 ▪ ENVIRONMENTAL AND MINORITY LAW IN THE ARCTIC: PROBLEMS AND PROCESSES The 40th Anniversary Seminar of the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law | 18.9.2025 ▪ CRITICAL ARCTIC STUDIES SYMPOSIUM Caring for Life in the Arctic | 7.–9.10.2025 ▪ THE NORDIC TIPPING WEEK Seminar on the effects of sudden changes in Atlantic Ocean currents | 23.–24.10.2025 ▪ DOCUMENTARY SCREENING “ABOUT ICE” Premiere of a short documentary which is part of the Planetocene2025 research project | 8.1.2025 ▪ ARKTINEN KESKUS KYLÄSSÄ Research of the Arctic Centre was presented in the library of Sodankylä | 20.11.2025

14

The second Inter-Polar Conference was held in Kathmandu, Nepal, 3rd to 5th September. Conference attracted close to one hundred participants from various countries in the Himalayan region and from many Arctic research institutes. photo jitendra raj bajracharya / icimod

Climate researchers gathered at the Nordic Tipping Week in October. The first part of the event in Helsinki focused on multidisciplinary research into sudden changes in Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and at the second part in Arctic Centre, Rovaniemi up-to-date information was provided on what the weakening of the AMOC could mean for northern Finland. photo sampo sanaksenaho

15

Contact Arctic Centre, University of Lapland Pohjoisranta 4, 96200 Rovaniemi arcticcentre@ulapland.fi

www.arcticcentre.org @arcticcentre Arctic Centre @arctic.centre @arktikumofficial