For Niels Martin Schmidt, there is no doubt what should be Denmark’s most important weapon in an Arctic increasingly on the radar of the Russians, the Chinese and the Americans:

“Knowledge is power. Those who know the most about the Arctic are the ones who will have the most impact in the Arctic.”

As a professor and deputy Head of Department at the Department of Ecoscience at Aarhus University, he is often reminded of how researchers in the Arctic play an active role in a geopolitical world. For example, the Zackenberg research station in north-east Greenland constitutes the largest civilian presence in an area where no one has lived permanently for more than 200 years.

“If Denmark is to stand strong in the Arctic, it is a question of commitment that extends beyond two years. One must be willing to invest—not only in guns and ammunition, but also in a more permanent research presence as an exercise of soft power,” says Niels Martin Schmidt.

The professor has spent many years working on climate change, biodiversity and ecology in the Arctic, and from 25 March to 1 April he is participating in Arctic Science Summit Week, which this year is being held at Aarhus University. It is a global forum for coordination, collaboration and knowledge exchange within Arctic research, and Niels Martin Schmidt hopes that the conference can help draw attention to research as an instrument of sovereignty enforcement—a way for Denmark to plant its flag at a time when the Russian bear is hungry and Donald Trump’s United States is unpredictable. The problem, however, is that Denmark lacks a unified national strategy for Arctic research.

“There is a need for shared objectives and a framework for our research, which today is based on far too few resources and a patchwork of brief initiatives. We are in the midst of a heated geopolitical situation, and our researchers are standing alone on the front line,” he says.

Marine mammals and submarines

This view is supported by Ole Hertel, Vice-Dean at the Faculty of Technical Sciences at Aarhus University and chair of the Forum for Arctic Research (FAF), which is among the local organisers of the conference. He explains that as early as last year they attempted to alert politicians by holding a workshop at Christiansborg, attended by spokespersons from the Social Democrats, the Red–Green Alliance, the Conservatives and the Liberal Alliance.

“The significance of a Danish presence in the Arctic is the key to all of this, but we face challenges in securing funding to operate our two monitoring stations in Greenland, Zackenberg and Villum Research Station. We would like to see the establishment of large, long-term research programmes, because if we are to employ people who are to become specialists in these areas, funding must be secured over a longer period. We cannot appoint a professor on a one-year grant,” he says, adding that Arctic research in general holds considerable untapped potential within so-called dual-use:

“For example, when we conduct acoustic monitoring of marine mammals, we can simultaneously listen for submarines and vessels in the area.”

Ole Hertel points to Norway, which for decades has maintained a long-term and ambitious plan for Arctic research and has recently allocated a three-figure million sum. As recently as last autumn, the Norwegian government published a comprehensive report entitled “Norway in the North – a High North policy for a new era”, which equates research with defence and security policy:

“Norway’s role as a polar nation is underpinned by an evidence-based Arctic policy. Norway has a number of leading research environments and prioritises maintaining research infrastructure, strong institutions and international cooperation on climate issues, the environment and sustainable development,” as stated on page 11.

In Denmark, the government last month presented its 2035 plan, “A strong Denmark in an uncertain world”, in which Danish Arctic research is not mentioned at all. Instead, emphasis is placed on military presence in the form of more robust air defence, new Arctic vessels and additional special forces. This is despite the fact that Aarhus University operates the Zackenberg and Villum Research Station facilities, which are staffed by researchers year-round and provide unique knowledge on issues such as climate change and air pollution.

Professor Niels Martin Schmidt himself has had his hands in Greenlandic soil, where changes provide an early indication of what awaits the rest of the planet. During Arctic Science Summit Week, panel debates will be held with researchers from Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands to discuss what a Danish strategy for the region should look like. There is no time to lose, he believes.

“Hopefully, there will be the political will and courage to develop a comprehensive strategy for Danish research in the Arctic based on the work we are doing at the conference,” he says.

Arctic Science Summit Week is an annual global event first held in 1999. It will take place at Aarhus University from 25 March to 1 April 2026.