The Ant-ICON Steering Committee and the Standing Committee on the Antarctic Treaty System (SC-ATS) acknowledge that limited knowledge of Antarctic policymaking and a lack of opportunities for engagement may create barriers for Antarctic researchers seeking to participate in Antarctic policy forums. This can be particularly challenging for early to mid-career researchers, especially those from emerging Antarctic nations. To help build capacity in the provision of scientific knowledge to inform policymakers, Ant-ICON and SC-ATS will provide joint funding for the establishment of an annual science-policy fellowship scheme.

Fellowship aims:

1. To provide opportunities for early-mid career researchers (EMCRs) to contribute to, and gain experience from participating in, Antarctic policy forums, including through the potential submission of a science/policy paper related to their research expertise, possibly supplemented by a contribution to the Antarctic Environments Portal (environments.aq), in collaboration with SC-ATS;
2. To build capacity among the Antarctic community, particularly in emerging Antarctic nations, towards improved policy literacy, research impact, as well as the development of transferable skills and exchange of crucial institutional knowledge and experience.

Reports from previous science-policy fellows can be found here:

• Lucia Zieger (2023) – Assessment of soundscape characteristics and the incidence of anthropogenic noise on the Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems
• Kirsten Steinke (2023) – How climate and environmental variability at the northern Antarctic Peninsula correspond with changes in Antarctic krill reproductive development and spawning
• Yousra Makanse (2024) –  Mapping tourism diversification in Antarctica

Reports from past SC-ATS/Ant-ICON Fellowships are available from the Fellow profiles at the bottom of this page.

Fellowship details: 

Number of fellowships offered:

Ant-ICON and SC-ATS will jointly support two fellows each year: one participating in the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resource (CCAMLR) and Scientific Committee of CCAMLR (SC-CAMLR) meetings; and the second participating in the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) meeting. The fellows will attend the meeting(s) as members of the SCAR delegation.

Research areas:

Relevant research can be aligned with any of the priority areas identified by the CEP/ATCM or by CCAMLR, or related to an emerging issue that should be brought to the attention of policymakers.

Target group:

The fellowships will be open to early and mid-career researchers (EMCRs) from all SCAR member countries. It is acknowledged that both early and mid-career researchers may lack the opportunity to participate in Antarctic policy forums. EMCRs are in the process of shaping their future careers, and this fellowship programme aims to support them in that process to ensure that they will remain active in the Antarctic community and further develop their and others’ policy knowledge and skills. 

Financial support provided:

Ant-ICON and SC-ATS will jointly support the fellow’s attendance at the meeting (travel, accommodation, daily subsistence). Funding will not be available to support the time spent toward preparing for and attending the meeting (i.e., salary hours).

In-kind support provided:

For each fellow, the Ant-ICON and SC-ATS Steering Committees will identify one or more SCAR researchers as a suitable mentor(s), who may be a part of the Ant-ICON Steering Committee or SC-ATS, a member of another relevant SCAR group, or a member of a national delegation to the ATCM or CCAMLR. The mentor(s) will:

1. introduce the fellow to Antarctic policy issues and governance structures by providing them with appropriate background information and documents,
2. support the fellow through the process of preparing their work for submission to the relevant meeting,
3. support the fellow in making contact with their national delegation (if possible) prior to the meeting to ensure they are aware of the fellow’s engagement in the meeting through SCAR, and
4. support the fellows during the meetings by introducing them to other delegates (undertaken by the mentor(s) or other members of the SCAR delegation as appropriate).

Selection:

The fellows will be selected by a joint Ant-ICON/SC-ATS review group using selection criteria to assess their responses in the application form. This includes a description of the relevance of the applicant’s personal research toward informing ATCM, CEP and CCAMLR priority areas or describing emerging issues of relevance to the Antarctic Treaty System (noting that this work cannot have already been presented to previous meetings). Given the fellowship awards will not support research time, it is essential that the fellows are already undertaking research relevant to ATCM/CEP/CCAMLR, which is ideally published and ready to inform the development of policy-relevant advice. Preference will also be given to applicants who have not had extensive previous experience of attending these meetings. If no suitable candidate/s are identified then the fellowship will not be awarded.

Fellowship activities: 

The activities and responsibilities of the fellowship can be broadly split into three main phases:

1. Pre-Meeting – Prior to attending the meeting the fellows will prepare a draft Background, Information or Working Paper for potential submission to ATCM/CEP/CCAMLR under the guidance of their mentor(s) and SC-ATS. The paper will be underpinned, to some degree, by the fellow’s own research. The decision on whether or not the paper is suitable for submission to the meeting will be taken by SC-ATS. The fellows will also prepare for the meeting by reading relevant meeting documents and by meeting (online) with both the SCAR delegation and, if appropriate, their national delegation.

2. Meeting – The fellows will attend their respective meetings (CEP/ATCM in Milan, Italy, in late June/July 2025, or SC-CAMLR/CCAMLR in Hobart, TAS, Australia in October 2025) as a part of the SCAR delegation. If appropriate, the fellows may be given the opportunity to present their papers during meetings, although this may not always be possible. The fellows will attend for the duration of the combined CEP-ATCM meetings or SC-CAMLR/CCAMLR meetings.  In the case of the CCAMLR fellow, given the particular organisational requirements that underpin how meetings are attended, efforts will be made to connect the fellow with a National Delegation (either of their home country or that of an appropriate Mentor), in consultation with the Chair of SC-CAMLR, to facilitate the presentation of their work in SC-CAMLR Working Group meetings if appropriate.

3. Post-Meeting – Once the meeting has concluded, the fellows will produce a short report of their experience for the Ant-ICON Steering Committee, SC-ATS, and the wider SCAR community, detailing what they did during the fellowship, what they learned, how/whether it benefited them, and how they see it shaping their future careers. The report may also include recommendations on how further work on their research/topic might be progressed by SCAR within the ATCM/CCAMLR. If possible, the fellows will conduct education and outreach activities post-fellowship to help build policy capacity amongst other researchers (especially within their nation).

Fellowship eligibility:

• Applicant must be an EMCR (postgraduate and above, up to 15 years post PhD, accounting for research breaks);
• Applicant must be actively working in Antarctic research with relevance to either CEP/ATCM or CCAMLR;
• Applicant must have the support of their employer and/or supervisor (if relevant) to undertake the fellowship (i.e., the time commitment required for preparing for and attending the meeting).