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The International Polar Foundation and the Trân Family are proud to announce the second winner of the annual Laurence Trân Arctic Futures Award.
The second edition of the annual award that gives 7,500 Euros of financial assistance to a fledgling startup or young entrepreneur based in the Arctic* is being given to Gobmi, a clothing brand founded in 2022 in Áltá, Norway, by sisters Hanna Moen Reinsnes and Live Moen Johannessen. The two sisters, who only a few years ago re-discovered their Saami heritage, set out to create sustainably-produced modern urban wear that incorporates elements of their Saami culture.
“We are deeply honoured and humbled to receive this prestigious award,” stated Hanna Moen Reinsnes, CEO and co-founder of Gobmi. “It acknowledges our dedication to marrying Saami traditions with modern style, and empowers us to further our journey in sustainable and culturally rich fashion.”
Gobmi was selected as the winner out of 18 candidates who applied from Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, northern Norway, northern Sweden, and northern Finland by a committee of experts with years of experience working with startups in the North American and European Arctic.
“Gobmi is an example of the kind of startup unique to the Arctic that can be created by the innovative young people living in the region,” said Alain Hubert, Founder and President of the International Polar Foundation, life-long entrepreneur, and the initiator of the zero-emission Princess Elisabeth Antarctica research station. “It’s possible to achieve your dreams with hard work and determination.”
The startup stood out above the rest for many reasons.
“While there were several highly qualified candidates, Gobmi stood out because their business draws on their traditional Saami heritage to create a sustainably produced modern line of clothing,” commented Mads Frederiksen, Director of the Arctic Economic Council and member of the selection committee. “It’s promising to see that young, female, indigenous entrepreneurs are creating their own startups.”
An initiative of the International Polar Foundation and financed by the Trân family, the Laurence Trân Arctic Futures Award was established in 2022 to help a fledgling startup or young entrepreneur based in the Arctic* further establish their business.
The award was again presented during the annual Arctic Futures Symposium, an international conference organised by the International Polar Foundation and its many Arctic stakeholder partners that brings together in Brussels Arctic stakeholders from across the Arctic to discuss topics of importance to them.
Among the 18 applicants, the selection committee also chose to recognise three startups with honourable mentions. These companies include
The award was presented by IPF Managing Director Nicolas Van Hoecke, Brigitte Trân-Loustau from the Trân family, and Director of the Arctic Economic Council Mads Frederiksen.
Sisters Hanna Moen Reinsnes and Live Moen Johannessen won the award during a ceremony during this year’s Arctic Futures Symposium, which took place on November 28th and 29th at Town Hall Europe in Brussels’ EU Quarter. Anja Márjá Nystø Keskitalo, who is an Advisor in the EU Unit of the Saami Council and from the same region as the winners, accepted the award on behalf of the founders of Gobmi, who were not able to attend the ceremony in person.
"Thank you for supporting Saami businesses," Ms. Keskitalo said as she accepted the award on behalf of the winners.
This year's Arctic Futures Symposium focused on topics such as Arctic cooperation in the current geopolitical climate, security, creating healthy Arctic communities, youth initiatives, critical raw materials, the Green Transition, and energy solutions and attracted nearly 200 people.
“Receiving this award reinforces our commitment to Gobmi's vision,” commented Live Moen Johannessen, Creative Director at Gobmi. “We are excited and inspired to continue blending our cultural roots with modern design, creating pieces that are meaningful and environmentally conscious.”
The Trân family is happy that their daughter's legacy will live on in an award that focuses on helping young entrepreneurs bring their innovative ideas to fruition.
“We congratulate the winners of this year’s Laurence Trân Arctic Futures Award for their hard work in developing Gobmi,” Brigitte Trân-Loustau stated. “We wish them lots of luck further developing their business!”
For more information about Gobmi, please consult their website.
The annual Arctic Futures Symposium and its growing number of side events, including the highly popular Arctic Shorts film evening, is happening this week.
Arctic Shorts back for 5th edition
Thanks to the financial support of the Government of Canada and the assistance of the Arctic Futures Symposium partners, the Arctic Shorts film evening will return for its 5th edition the evening of Monday, November 27th at BOZAR Centre for fine Arts in the centre of Brussels.
This year’s programme will feature nine shorts films this year made by filmmakers hailing from different parts of the Arctic. The evening will start with introductory speeches given by Gizem Eras (Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment Counsellor, Mission of Canada to the EU) and Clara Ganslandt (EU Special Envoy for Arctic Matters).
A few seats are still left. Tickets are free, but your seat must be reserved via the BOZAR website. Doors open at 6:30 pm and the programme starts at 7:30 pm.
For more information please consult the events page on the Arctic Futures Symposium website.
Arctic Futures Symposium draws much interest for 14th edition
Registrations have now closed for the 14th edition of the Arctic Futures Symposium, which will take place this year at Town Hall Europe near the European Parliament in Brussels’ EU Quarter. It will feature more than 40 expert speakers from all across the Arctic and the EU Institutions, discussing topics such as Arctic cooperation in the current geopolitical climate, security, creating healthy Arctic communities, youth initiatives, critical raw materials, the Green transition, and energy solutions.
More than 150 Arctic stakeholders including policymakers from the local to national and EU Level, indigenous leaders, entrepreneurs, representatives from industry, academics, and experts are expected to attend.
Interest in the Arctic remains high, and this is reflected in the number of registrations for the conference and its side events.
In addition to Arctic Shorts, the symposium will also feature an “Arctic Evening” cocktail and networking event hosted by the Mission of Norway to the EU on November 28th, and a cocktail and presentation of the results of the EU-financed JUSTNORTH Horizon project hosted by the Embassy of Monaco to Belgium and the EU on November 29th.
Due to high interest, registrations for this year’s symposium have now closed. For those who have not registered, it is still possible to watch the entire symposium online on the IPF YouTube Channel.
More information, including the programme, a full list of speakers, and communication materials can be found on the Arctic Futures Symposium website.
The team enjoyed pleasant weather as they started working on the first major tasks of the season.
Warm for November
The Princess Elisabeth Antarctca station recently enjoyed pleasant weather with clear skies, minimal wind, and abundant sunshine. However, The team noticed the temperature hitting -0.6°C on Saturday, November 18th which is very unusually warm for this time of the year.
The station benefits from protection against katabatic winds, thanks to the surrounding mountains. Typically, summers are comfortable, ranging between -10°C to -5°C in December and January. However, temperatures rarely get close to 0°C in the part of the Queen Maud Land in East Antarctica where the station is located, and certainly not in November. It is unusual to have such a warm spell in this part of Antarctica, at least as far back as consistant weather data has been taken.
Thsi isn't the first time the team experienced unusual weather events, over the past few years the climate has become more and more unpredictable in Antarctica, likely due to climate change.
First expedition to the coast
A team led by Alain Hubert, along with Tim, Jan, and Jacques, headed to the coast to do an initial reconnaissance of the coastline in order to see where the ship carrying cargo will dock this year. This process is not easy to define as the ice at the coast is constantly moving every year. They also took the opportunity to move all the containers that were left last year at Breids Bay to 0° Longitude, a central point from which you can reach most of the landing sites more easily. This will help to speed up logistics when the cargo ship arrives in January or February.
Work at the station
At the station, the team have been making minor repairs to the garage wall and have started the gradual process to lift up the station’s annexes to keep them level. The movement of the glacier on which the annexes have been constructed required the IPF to create a system of hinges and pistons that allows the team to raise the station’s annexes twice a year: when they first arrive at the station and right before they leave at the end of the season
IPF engineers, Aymar de Lichtervelde, Nicolas Herinckx along with expert plumbers Siméon and Bernard Polet are continuing where they left off last year with setting up the station’s new water treatment system. Previously, the station used a WTU designed for 16 people. But with the station hosting as many as 45-50 individuals, an upgrade became necessary. Most parts for the new water treatment system were delivered to the station and an entire room at the station was adapted to accommodate the larger tanks required for the upgraded system.
The team has also been repairing the flags and pathways around the station. The harsh weather conditions of last week caused damage to routes leading to the Airstrip, the Winter park, and the coast. It's crucial to ensure these areas continue to be well-marked for safe navigation.
Next week we'll talk about some of the first scientific activity at PEA this season!
Thanks to a productive first week and favourable weather, the station is now running at full power with all systems successfully restarted.
Running at full power
Thanks to ideal weather, strong wind and abundant sunlight, the station is now generating enough energy to run at full power. This is just what the team needs to run all the vital systems for communication, electricity production, water production, water treatment and scientific equipment, with some extra power to spare!
Settling in
Since their arrival, the team has been hard at work preparing the station for the arrival of the first team of scientists in December. Their first task has been clearing out the mountain of snow in front of the station’s annexes, which usually takes about two and a half days. Once finished, the mechanics started to bring vehicles to the station from the Winter Park where they're stored during the austral winter. These containers will be converted into labs for scientists and living spaces for the expedition team.
The station’s electrical system was switched from winter to summer mode. This allowed the plumbers and engineers to start producing essential fresh water for drinking and cooking. It was a great team effort! They're also busy preparing bacteria for the bioreactors in the water treatment unit to recycle and purify all the wastewater the station inhabitants will produce.
The team has started to work again on installing the station’s brand new water treatment system, an upgrade compared to the station’s current water treatment unit. This is one of the main objectives for the station's engineers this season.
Preparing for the scientists’ arrival
This week, the team has also started working with scientists remotely to set up equipment that collect data only during the austral summer. They are also performing maintenance on instruments that have been collecting data throughout the winter.
In addition to projects that require the presence of scientists on-site, IPF engineers will continue monitoring and maintaining scientific equipment collecting data year-round, including new automatic weather stations for the PEACE project.
More to come from the team soon. Stay tuned!
The 2023-2024 season is off to an active start as the Belgian Antarctic Research Expedition (BELARE) lead team arrived at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica research station!
On the evening of November 6th, the first members of the 2023-2024 BELARE team arrived at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica research station after a smooth departure from Cape Town, South Africa. After being inactive for eight months, the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica station joyfully welcomed both familiar and fresh faces!
The lead team has begun their work, clearing away the accumulated winter snow and switching the station into active mode, which includes restarting the station's water production and treatment systems and preparing vehicles for field expeditions. Powered by 100% renewable wind and solar energy, the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica will be ready to welcome the first group of scientists in early December.
To keep up with the BELARE team and the season's scientific adventures, be sure to visit our websites and check out our social media profiles.
Stay tunned!
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The 14th edition of the Arctic Futures Symposium is rapidly approaching!
Following a series of successful editions over the past few years, we are pleased to announce the return of the Arctic Future Symposium this fall, taking place at TownHall Europe, not far from the European Parliament in Brussels.
Between November 28th and 29th, the symposium will bring together experts from different disciplines and parts of the Arctic, offering a platform for lively discussions on key topics chosen by Arctic stakeholders.
The topics for this year's Symposium will focus on:
For more details about the symposium programme, speakers, and registration, please consult the Arctic Futures Symposium website
Come join us !
Please don't hesitate to contact us at events@polarfoundation.org if you have any questions about the event.
The International Polar Foundation is excited to announce that Natacha Lippens and Michael Saverys have joined its board of directors this month.
Natacha Lippens
With a background in biology, zoology, and ecology, and experience on boards of organisations, not to mention a strong passion for science and sustainability, Natacha Lippens is a welcome addition to the foundation’s board.
Natacha obtained her bachelor’s degree with honours in zoology from the University of Edinburgh. She then obtained a Master of Science (MSc) degree in environmental technology, with a specialisation in ecological management at Imperial College London, focusing on the intersection of technology, innovation, and sustainability. She also obtained a dual degree of Master of Business Administration (MBA) from both INSEAD, one of the world's leading business schools, and Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.
Natacha has had a multidisciplinary career working as a scientist, businesswoman, and consultant. She has worked as a marine biologist in the field of pollution prevention and control, advising on clean-up and supporting the clean-up of marine pollution incidents worldwide.
She sits on numerous boards of directors and advisory boards in Belgium and abroad. She is also actively involved in several impact investment funds and ventures.
She is passionate about sustainability and education, and believes that boards have a strategic role to play in the climate transition.
“As a biologist having lived abroad for 22 years, I am particularly happy to be joining the board of such an internationally renowned Belgian institution as the International Polar Foundation, notably working with the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, which is a symbol of endurance, vision, European innovation, and of international cooperation in scientific research,” declared Natacha. “I am very much looking forward to working with my fellow directors on the important topics of enabling polar science as well as promoting Belgian technology and the sciences.”
“We’re happy to add someone to our board with such a diverse board experience, scientific knowledge, and a passion for sustainability as Natacha,” stated Alain Hubert, Founder and President of the International Polar Foundation. “We look forward to her contributing fresh, new ideas to the foundation.”
In addition to serving on the board of directors of the International Polar Foundation, Natacha is also currently:
Michael Saverys
Michael Saverys brings not only years of experience as a businessman to the board of the foundation, but also a passion for taking action to find sustainable solutions to address the issue of climate change.
He is currently Commercial Director at CMB Group, which is specialised in international shipping. He follows his father Marc Saverys, who was a member of the Strategic Council of the Polar Secretariat.
Michael studied business administration at UBI in Brussels before starting his career in trading grains at Noble Group in 2005. In 2007 he was headhunted by Merril Lynch and worked for them as dry freight commodity trader until 2009. Following this, he joined CMB Group as Commercial Director for their dry bulk division, Bocimar.
“I’m very excited to be part of the foundation’s board of directors,” Michael explained.
“And like Alain Hubert, I’m someone who doesn’t just talk about addressing climate change; I also like doing something about it,” he continued. “I’m very excited to be part of a foundation that not only talks the talk but walks the walk.”
CMB Group is the biggest energy transition player in the shipping industry. The company is currently developing hydrogen and ammonia solutions to greatly reduce the carbon footprint of not only the shipping industry but also the mining and trucking industries.
“I think CMB Group can learn a lot from what IPF is doing in Antarctica. But IPF in turn can learn from our activities at CMB Group,” Michael added. “I’m excited to see what we can accomplish.”
We look forward to working together with the two of them on developing different projects in the coming years !
The International Polar Foundation had a very strong presence at the 10th edition of the annual Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland last week. Representatives from IPF managed a booth and participated in a number of panel discussions during the three days of the popular annual conference.
Featured speakers at breakout sessions
IPF Managing Director Nicolas Van Hoecke and IPF Systems Engineer Aymar de Lichtervelde, along with IPF Board Member, Former EU Arctic Ambassador, and Egmont Institute Senior Fellow Marie-Anne Coninsx took part in breakout sessions at the assembly.
On Thursday, October 19th Marie-Anne Coninsx led a panel discussion entitled, “Non-Arctic States: Assets for the Region” in which representatives from several Arctic Council observer states and states with interests in the Arctic gave their views on how they can contribute to the work of the Arctic Council and improving the quality of life of Arctic residents.
Then on Friday, October 20th, Marie-Anne Coninsx and Nicolas Van Hoecke participated in a panel discussion entitled "The Like-Minded, the Willing the Capable...the Belgians." This panel discussed Belgium's significant contributions to polar research since the 19th century, the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica (the world’s first zero-emission polar research station), the new Belgian polar research vessel, the Belgica, and Belgium's Arctic policy currently under development.
Also on Friday, Aymar de Lichtervelde spoke about deploying and operating renewable energy and water treatment technologies at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica during a breakout session organized by US polar logistics firm Batelle and Icelandic vehicle firm Arctic Trucks.
Princess Elisabeth Antarctica featured at popular exhibition booth
During the entire conference, IPF also had a booth next to the entrance of the main auditorium at Harpa (where the Arctic Circle Assembly is held every year), exhibiting the green technologies used at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica polar research station.
The booth highlighted the station’s new water treatment system (which recycles and reuses all wastewater at the station), as well as how renewable wind and solar energy sources are used to power the station. It also featured a scale model of PEA on Utsteinen Ridge in East Antarctica and a 3D-printed replica of PEA’s new water treatment system.
The booth also featured a few Belgian icons thanks to Jan Bayart, the Belgian Ambassador to Norway and Iceland: three Smurfs in the colours of the Belgian flag!
Many assembly participants visited the booth over the three days of the conference. Everyone was impressed with the solutions used at the station to significantly cut its environmental footprint. Visitors included entrepreneurs, investors, and most importantly residents of remote Arctic communities that need to ship in fuel, food, and even water on a regular basis at great cost. Having solutions such as a circular water treatment system and a smart grid that manages renewable wind and solar energy production could be very beneficial to remote Arctic communities.
It is with great sorrow that IPF mourns the loss of Alain De Waele, Member of the Board of the International Polar Foundation, and long-time supporter of the activities of the Foundation and the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica research station.
Born in Antwerp in 1949, Alain De Waele began his career in the late 1970s at Interbrew (later InBev and then AB InBev) in Leuven, Belgium. During his career at the company, he worked in various commercial positions, rising up the ranks until he became Vice-President of External Relations in the 1990s.
In 1999 Alain De Waele was selected by InBev (as the company was known at the time) to become Secretary General of the InBev Baillet Latour Fund (later known simply as Les Fonds Baillet Latour). He was ideal for this position due to his friendly and outgoing nature, his extensive network of contacts, and most importantly his passion for philanthropy. In this capacity at the Baillet Latour Fund, he dedicated his life to charitable work, supporting medical research, the arts and culture, and, with the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, polar research.
Alain de Waele became interested in the work of Alain Hubert and the International Polar Foundation when he met Alain Hubert in 1999 at a conference in Deauville, France.
When the Princess Elisabeth Project was launched in 2004, Alain De Waele immediately stepped in to help. The Baillet Latour Fund financed all the scientific research equipment needed to equip the station on the advice of researchers consulted. He always felt that the Princess Elisabeth Station was an exceptional advertisement for Team Belgium, and was always ready to promote the exceptional qualities of Belgian research.
Alain De Waele had the initiative to set up the Baillet Latour Antarctica Fellowship, along the lines of other awards made by the Baillet Latour Funds, with the first award being made in 2008. The Baillet Latour Antarctic Fellowship was a bi-annual Fellowship of 150,000 Euros managed by the International Polar Foundation to support the research of early career polar scientists interested in conducting scientific research at, or in the vicinity of the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica. During the 12 years the Fellowship was in place, the award was able to assist several promising young researchers from Belgium and other countries in the fields of glaciology, microbiology, and Earth sciences.
In 2009, he was present at the inauguration of the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, and he remained very implicated in future plans, agreeing to find ways of financing the research and development initiatives that the Foundation wanted to put in place to support the development of new technologies at the PEA Station and further afield.
In 2012, Alain De Waele helped to organise the Gala event celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the creation of the IPF, and he remained always present and supportive in the next ten years. He remained Vice-President of External Relations at InBev until 2007, after which he became Secretary-General of the Baillet Latour Fund full-time as the Funds activities expanded. The Funds work became more well-known thanks to his extensive outreach efforts and active engagement with stakeholders.
Due to declining health, he was unfortunately forced to step down from his position as Secretary General of the Baillet Latour Fund in 2019. He remained a Member of the Board (Administrator) of the Fund under the Presidency of Thomas Leysen.
The International Polar Foundation extends its sincere condolences to his family and his many friends.
The International Polar Foundation is deeply saddened to announce the passing of one of our organisation’s co-founders, Hugo Decleir, an internationally respected glaciologist and Professor Emeritus at the Vrij Universitiet Brussel (VUB).
Professor Decleir had a distinguished career in glaciology, and participated in several expeditions to Antarctica with the Belgian, Dutch, South African and Japanese Antarctic Expeditions. He was also active in Greenland.
He published prolifically, focusing on topics ranging from the mass balance of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, mountain glaciers, paleoclimatology, the contribution of melting glaciers to sea level rise, remote sensing to monitor environmental change, and the cryosphere’s role in the Earth’s climate system.
Passionate about raising awareness and educating the public about the effects of climate change on the polar regions, he would often document his research expeditions in photo and film.
He also had a keen interest in the history of Belgian polar exploration and polar research. He co-authored a number of books, including The Belgica Expedition Centennial: Perspectives on Antarctic Science and History on the centennial of the first scientific research expedition to Antarctica aboard the Belgica in 1897-99, and Roald Amundsen’s Belgica Diary, which related the famous Norwegian explorer’s perspective on the Belgian expedition of 1897-1898, where he served as an officer of the vessel’s crew.
His passion for raising awareness about the importance of polar research compelled him to found the International Polar Foundation in 2002, with Alain Hubert and Professor André Berger.
It was on a trip to the North Pole with Alain Hubert, Professor André Berger and Nighat Amin in 2003 that Hugo first brought up the question of re-building a station in Antarctica for the Belgian research community. He felt that it was time to return to the Antarctic as the Belgian researchers were very competent but relied heavily on the hospitality of other nations. By building a new station, Belgian research would be greatly encouraged and could offer to other nations the possibility to access areas that were very little researched.
This inspired the construction of the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, the world’s first zero emissions polar research station. Hugo proudly took part in the inauguration of the station in February 2009 and was much moved to see the realization of his wish.
He also served on the jury of the Baillet Latour Antarctica Fellowship, which provided a 150,000 Euro prize to young polar scientists conducting research in the vicinity of the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica. He was always a source of inspiration and encouragement to the younger generation of scientists and he will be fondly remembered by many.
Our sincere condolences go to his family, his friends and his colleagues in the polar research community.
Several scientists and crew went home this past week as new scientists and crew arrived.
An international team led by Belgian scientists has recovered 115 Antarctic meteorites weighing more than 2 kg during the ongoing 2024-2025 BELgian Antarctic Research Expedition (BELARE).
The scientific teams at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica this season have done impressive work they can be proud of!
While it is not uncommon for temperatures to rise above freezing in Antarctica in some places during the austral summer, temperatures above freezing are becoming more frequent than in previous years.
While the scientists and all of the IPF staff who support their work in the field concentrate on doing the best science possible, the team of engineers, technicians, and mechanics are also hard at work on a number of new projects.
Scientific field campaigns continued in earnest this past week as more scientists and crew arrived at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica.
Field expeditions for the FROID and ULTIMO projects are off to a strong start, with other scientific projects stopping by the station this week.
On December 3rd, on the second day of the annual Arctic Futures Symposium, the International Polar Foundation (IPF) and the Trân Family handed out the third Laurence Trân Arctic Futures Award to Siu-Tsiu, a non-profit social enterprise based in Greenland that employs and upskills marginalised young people to help them find work, pursue further education, give them a sense of community and give them a sense of purpose in life.
The Unicorn of the Ocean, Arnoux Beaked Whales spotted by 2 members of our team.
From December 2nd until December 4th, the International Polar Foundation and its many Arctic stakeholder partners will host the 15th annual Arctic Futures Symposium at the Residence Palace in Brussels’ EU Quarter, along with several interesting Arctic side events at other locations.
