Belgian polar science today

In 1985, the Belgian Government took the initiative to organise a structured action of scientific research on the Antarctic. It was the first time that Belgium established and coordinated a national multi-annual research programme specifically devoted to the Antarctic.

To date, five successive phases have been implemented and a sixth phase has recently started. The themes can be brought under in four disciplines:

• Marine biology and biogeochemistry
• Glaciology and climatology
• Hydrodynamics and sea-ice
• Marine geophysics

The broad objectives of the Belgian Antarctic Programme financed by the Federal Science Policy since 1985 are:

• Maintain and strengthen the Belgian expertise, particularly in those areas of science where Belgian teams were known to be strong;
• Increase the visibility of Belgium in the Antarctic Treaty System;
• Contribute to the rational management of Antarctica’s environment and natural resources;
• Assess the consequences at the world scale of major natural processes occurring in the Antarctic and surrounding ocean.

Calls for research proposals are issued among all Belgian university institutions, public scientific institutions and non-profit research centres likely to be in a position to present projects. Projects are selected on the grounds of a scientific assessment carried out by foreign experts in accordance with the "peer review" method.

Emphasis is given on a multi-disciplinary approach of the dynamics of the global functioning of Antarctic main natural systems and of their evolution and interactions. Research topic and priorities are in full line with major international projects and programmes such as EPICA, AGCS, SALE, ACE, CAML, EBA, SOLAS, EUR-OCEANS, ...

Funding, management, coordination and development of the Programme are in the hands of the Federal Science Policy Office. All research costs (personnel, equipment, travel, working and overheads) are financed by the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office. Scientific liaison with the Antarctic Treaty System is also the responsibility of the Office.

Since 2000, each research project, consisting of a network of funded partners, is enlarged with a user-committee. These non-funded partners in the project include relevant international, European, federal, and regional official bodies, scientific experts… They collaborate actively to the project by making data and information available and/or supply an advisory opinion regarding the ongoing research.

Also since 2000, the Belgian researchers within the Antarctica programme have the possibility of cooperating with an international university or research institution within their project on the basis of a co-financing.

As of now, Belgium has no own logistics for support to Antarctic research (base, vessel, aircraft,...). Therefore, all necessary fieldwork is carried out by participation of the Belgian researchers in campaigns organised by other countries, based on the availability of vacant space on research vessels and in bases. Frequent sharing of facilities, even during the same campaign periods, took place over the years. In 2007-2008, almost 40 years after the closing of the Belgian King Baudouin base, Belgium will reconstruct a new Antarctica research station in the Sør Rondane region. The Belgian base will be open to scientists from all other Antarctic Treaty partner countries willing to perform research activities in this area.