BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation renews its partnership with the Swiss Polar Institute
BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation renews its partnership with the Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) for three subsequent years, until 2026.
Since 2016, BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation has supported the Swiss Polar Institute, which aims at promoting and financing scientific research in cold regions. In partnership with the Foundation, the SPI launched the “Polar Access Fund”, a fund dedicated to financing expeditions to the polar and cold regions of young Swiss scientists to conduct research for the benefit of polar science. Up until now, the fund has supported more than 38 research projects.
Discover some field trips financed by the “Polar Access Fund”
Evan Miles, Himalaya
Evan is a young post-doc researcher at the WSL Federal Institute (Forest, Snow and Landscape). Thanks to the grant from the Polar Access Fund, Evan was able to experiment a new method of measuring historical snowfall and mass accumulation on high-altitude glaciers in the Himalayas mountains, filling a gap in understanding the response of glaciers to climate change.
Today, Evan coordinates the SPI’s PAMIR project.
It brings together 90 scientists to conduct research on the evolution of the cryosphere in Tajikistan.
Julie Lattaud, Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean)
Julie is a young post-doc researcher at the ETH, Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich. Her grant enabled her to board the Canadian icebreaker Amundsen as part of an expedition to the Beaufort Sea. This allowed her to take samples from the seabed and the water column in order to study the evolution of the methane cycle in the context of climate change.
This fieldwork provided the basis for a larger project submitted to the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), worth nearly CHF 1 million.
“The fieldwork I carried out with the funds enabled me to obtain samples and contacts (collaborating with people from the field trip) which served as the basis for my proposal. Obtaining this grant has been a huge advantage for me.” –
Julie Lattaud
BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation is proud to extend the partnership and continue to support young scientists in their field work. This research is fundamental to understanding natural mechanisms in cold regions and will enable a better response to climate change.
This partnership is also in line with the Group’s ambitions as the environmental cause is one of its main strategic pillars.
“Sustainability is a pillar of BNP Paribas’ long-term strategy. By renewing the Foundation’s support to the Swiss Polar Institute, we reaffirm our long-term commitment in engaging in projects with positive environmental impact “, comments Enna Pariset, Chairwoman of BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation’s Board, CEO and Head of Territory for BNP Paribas Group in Switzerland.
“Our long-standing partnership with BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation enables us to empower early-career scientists who undertake meaningful and impactful scientific projects in polar and high-altitude regions. Beyond bringing back valuable data and findings, they also form a close-knit community leading to new networks and learnings”, says Danièle Rod, Executive Director of the Swiss Polar Institute.
