On November 30th, the SSSI organized a workshop entitled “Building transdisciplinary bridges for sustainable Svalbard and Arctic development”. The workshop was a side meeting to the Svalbard Science Conference, and was funded by the Svalbard Science Forum (Svalbard Strategic Grant). The aim of the workshop was to create a space for discussing and initiating transdisciplinary collaborations for sustainable development on Svalbard. The workshop brought together a large group of social scientists, natural scientists and representatives of local institutions (such as the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO), the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), the Norwegian Research Council, the Svalbard Science Forum, Svalbard Museum) to discuss possibilities for transdisciplinary collaborations, including topics such as knowledge sharing, challenges, best practices and ways forward.

The workshop was the first in a series of two workshops, and the second one will be held in conjuction with the Arctic Congress in Bodø in May 2024.

Thank you for everyone who participated, and we are looking forward to seeing you in Bodø in May!