In the 2026 budget bill, which the government presented on 22 September, the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat was allocated SEK 3 million in 2026 to take over the principalship of the Kristineberg marine research station. The government has now decided to commission the University of Gothenburg and the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat to prepare and implement the transfer of hosting.
“The government’s investment will help ensure that Kristineberg, as a national research station, can continue to offer high-level marine expertise and unique marine research infrastructure,” said Lotta Edholm, Minister for Upper Secondary School, Higher Education and Research, in a press release from the Ministry of Education and Research on 27 September.
Uncertainty is gone
In June, the University of Gothenburg and the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat signed a joint declaration of intent expressing their desire to transfer principalship for the Kristineberg marine research station to the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat. The government's decision and budget proposal mean that all the conditions are in place for the transfer of operations to take place at the turn of the year.
“It feels great that the government is clear about their ambitions with Kristineberg in the future. Now the uncertainty is gone and we can focus on resolving all the details surrounding the handover of the research station,” says Göran Hilmersson, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology.
The transition means that Kristineberg's resources and expertise will be integrated with the Polar Research Secretariat's existing infrastructure and their activities in the Arctic and Antarctic. The University of Gothenburg will continue to conduct activities at the research station in the future.
