ICARP IV Summit
Following an invitation from the U.S. Polar Research Board at the National Academies the IASC Council voted to approve Boulder, Colorado (USA) as the host of ICARP IV Summit, to be held concurrently with Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2025 from 20 - 28 March 2025.
ASSW 2025 and the ICARP IV Summit together convened approximately 1,200 participants, including nearly 900 in person attendees and about 300 virtual participants. Participants represented a broad cross section of Arctic researchers, Indigenous Peoples and organisations, policy-makers, early career scientists, and international institutions, underscoring ICARP’s long standing role as a globally inclusive forum for Arctic research planning.
The ICARP IV Summit was embedded within the broader ASSW 2025 programme, which included many community meetings, workshops, and organisational sessions. The Summit itself was structured around the seven ICARP IV Research Priority Team (RPT) topics, with an additional cross cutting focus on data management. Over the four day period, the Summit hosted seven town hall events—one for each RPT—and a total of 73 individual sessions across the priority areas. Across these sessions, 523 abstracts were presented, comprising 357 in person oral presentations, 46 virtual oral presentations, and 120 poster presentations. The complete collection of abstracts presented at the ICARP IV Summit can be found here.
Three plenary panels framed the Summit:
- The panel “What is the vision for the Arctic for the next 10 years and how can ICARP IV contribute toward that vision?” brought together Arctic leaders to emphasise the need for integrative, forward looking, and inclusive research frameworks.
- The panel “Imperatives for co production of knowledge and Indigenous led research” centred Indigenous perspectives and experiences, highlighting why co production and Indigenous leadership are essential to ethical, relevant, and effective Arctic research.
- The closing plenary convened co leads from multiple RPTs to reflect on lessons from the Summit and outline pathways for producing the final ICARP IV outcomes.
A major innovation of the ICARP IV Summit was the inaugural Indigenous Pavilion. Conceived as a space for immersive, place based, and community centred learning, the Pavilion emphasised Indigenous Knowledge, consultation, creativity, and reciprocity. It provided a dedicated venue for dialogue and knowledge articulation, discussion of historical contexts and healing, and sharing among Indigenous students, Indigenous Knowledge Holders, local Elders, Indigenous researchers, and Indigenous scholars, reinforcing the Summit’s commitment to respectful engagement and co production of knowledge processes.
Films, art shows and participatory art spaces, sharing of traditional foods, and Indigenous-focused and led sessions were also featured at the Summit. Together, these sessions, exhibitions, and other events provided a concise but comprehensive snapshot of current Arctic research activities, emerging methods, and priority questions spanning physical, biological, social, and human dimensions of Arctic research.
ICARP IV Statements
The ICARP IV Summit culminated in the issuance of two formal statements:
- The official ICARP IV Summit Statement, issued by the ICARP IV International Steering Committee and the Summit Local Organising Committee, articulated the significance of the Summit and its role in shaping future Arctic research priorities.
- Indigenous participants drafted and issued a separate Statement from the Indigenous Participants of the ICARP IV Summit, offering perspectives grounded in Indigenous rights, knowledge systems, and research priorities.
Both statements were read during the closing ceremony and serve as key reference points for the continuing ICARP IV process.
ASSW 2025 / ICARP IV Summit Local Organizing Committee
| Name | Affiliatrion | Country |
| Matthew Druckenmiller (chair) | National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado Boulder | USA |
| Gijs de Boer | Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder | USA |
| Mariama Dryák-Vallies | Polar Science Early Career Community Office, University of Colorado Boulder | USA |
| Katie Ellis | National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado Boulder | USA |
| Gerlis Fugmann | IASC Secretariat | Iceland |
| Linda Pendergrass | Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder | USA |
| Andrey Petrov | ARCTICenter, University of Northern Iowa | USA |
| James Rattling Leaf | Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder | USA |
| Sandy Starkweather | Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder | USA |
| James Temte | Alaska Pacific University | USA |
| Varvara Korkina Williams | Institute of Arctic Studies, Dartmouth College | USA |
| Mistia Zuckerman | National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado Boulder | USA |
The hosting of ASSW 2025 and the ICARP IV Summit was also advised by a 24-member National Steering Committee, comprised of representatives from Arctic research universities and institutions across the U.S.
ASSW / ICARP IV Sponsors
Sponsors of ASSW 2025 and the ICARP IV Summit included:
Gold Level (> $10 K)
- Institute of Arctic Studies, Dartmouth College
- International Council for the Exploration of the Sea
- Navigating the New Arctic Community Office
- U.S. Arctic Research Commission
Silver Level ($5–10 K)
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder
- Polar Field Services
- University of the Arctic
Bronze Level (<$5K)
- Alaska Center for Energy and Power
- City of Boulder
- Ocean Conservancy
ICARP IV Summit Website ICARP IV Summit Session / Abstract List ICARP IV Summit Statement Statement of Indigenous Participants