Every year we get new institutions seeking for membership and researchers establishing new Thematic Networks. The years have not diminished the network’s importance to the Arctic and the world; in the era of the rapidly changing world, we are more relevant than ever.

Our launch event took place in June 2001 in Rovaniemi, Finland, at the University of Lapland. It is therefore only fitting that we would also commemorate our anniversary at the same location. To celebrate this important milestone in UArctic’s history, we are organizing a special 20-year anniversary seminar at the University of Lapland on September 6.

The program consists of a brief look into our history, messages from Arctic and non-Arctic governments, an introduction to Arctic themes through UArctic Thematic Networks, and a final concluding session with speeches from students and the UArctic Board. To honour the founders of UArctic, the program also features the son of Bill Heal, the person behind the original idea of UArctic
who passed away earlier this year. You can see the most up-to-date program with speakers on our website.

The anniversary seminar will be streamed online, and we invite all of our membership to join us virtually. The program begins at 15:00 (UTC +3), and the streaming link will become available on our website on the day of the event. We hope to see many of you there!