INSTITUT POLAIRE FRANCAIS PAUL-EMILE-VICTOR GIP

Their core work

The French Polar Institute (IPEV) is France's national operator for polar and subpolar scientific research, providing logistics, infrastructure, and field support for expeditions to Antarctica, the Arctic, and sub-Antarctic islands. They maintain and operate permanent research stations (notably Concordia Station in Antarctica and Dumont d'Urville), enabling scientists from multiple disciplines to conduct long-term observations and field campaigns. In H2020, their contribution centers on deep ice core drilling operations and polar research coordination, serving as the essential logistics backbone that makes ambitious polar science possible.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

IPEV's H2020 trajectory shows a clear shift from broad polar coordination toward deep, technically demanding Antarctic climate science. Early involvement (2015-2016) focused on polar research governance and trans-Atlantic science-policy dialogue through EU-PolarNet, alongside the preparatory BE-OI project scouting drill sites for old ice. By 2019, the focus narrowed sharply to the flagship Beyond EPICA drilling campaign — a multi-year effort to extract the oldest continuous ice core ever recovered, reconstructing 1.5 million years of greenhouse gas and climate feedback data.

IPEV is moving from coordination roles toward hands-on delivery of major Antarctic drilling infrastructure, positioning them as an essential partner for any future deep-ice or paleoclimate campaign in Antarctica.

How they like to work

IPEV participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as a national logistics and infrastructure provider rather than a research-initiating body. They work in medium-to-large consortia (36 unique partners across 18 countries from just 3 projects), indicating they plug into broad international collaborations where their polar logistics capabilities are needed. Their value proposition is clear: they bring the stations, the drilling rigs, and the field expertise that no desk-based institution can replace.

Despite only 3 projects, IPEV has collaborated with 36 distinct partners across 18 countries — reflecting the inherently international nature of polar research and their status as one of Europe's key polar operators alongside BAS, AWI, and CNR.

What sets them apart

IPEV is one of only a handful of European organizations that can physically operate in Antarctica and the deep polar regions year-round. While many research groups study polar climate from labs, IPEV provides the stations, logistics chains, and drilling infrastructure on the ice itself. For any consortium planning fieldwork in extreme polar environments, IPEV is not just a useful partner — they are often a prerequisite.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Beyond EPICA
  EUR 2.6M contribution to drill the oldest continuous ice core ever attempted (1.5 million years) — a landmark paleoclimate project running through 2026.
• EU-PolarNet
  The largest European polar research coordination action, connecting 22+ polar research institutions to align priorities and engage with policymakers.