The University of Graz is constructing a new building at the Sermilik research station in East Greenland, with the generous support of Dr Christian Palmers, offering space for 25 researchers.

At the start of September, a delegation from the University of Graz travelled to East Greenland together with Dr Christian Palmers for the pre-opening of the new building at the Sermilik research station. With Dr Palmers' generous support, the University of Graz has expanded the existing station of the University of Copenhagen. From summer 2024, the building will have space for 25 researchers.

Situated in the remote Sermilik Fjord, the station feels like a small piece of civilisation in the midst of the unspoilt Arctic. "We have Dr Palmers to thank for the station in its current form. It was his initiative that got the ball rolling," explains Peter Riedler, Rector of the University of Graz.

"Austria has a long tradition in polar research – Carl Weyprecht even founded the International Polar Year. Yet the country has not had its own research station in the region until now," explains Dr Palmers, who has been fascinated by the polar region for years. To change this situation, he looked for a partner organisation. "The University of Graz, with its long tradition of Arctic research, was happy to take up the offer to build a station for Austrian polar research," says Rector Riedler. "It fits perfectly into our portfolio as a university with a major research focus in the area of climate change."

You can read all the background information about this project on uni-graz.at!