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The BELARE 10 team welcomes a few new members, while an electronics teacher prepares for his first trip to Antarctica, thanks to his students!

With 49 speakers and moderators taking part this year, more than 200 participants attended the fifth edition of the International Polar Foundation's annual Arctic Futures Symposium.

Once again, Arctic stakeholders and high-profile policymakers will gather in Brussels on the 14th and 15th of October for the 5th edition of the Arctic Futures Symposium. Held at the Residence Palace in the European Quarter of Brussels, the 2014 symposium will focus on "The Arctic, its peoples, and its economies".

Dr Jan Lenaerts, a Belgian researcher working at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, has been awarded the prestigious €150,000 InBev-Baillet Latour Antarctica Fellowship for his BENEMELT project.

On Thursday 11 September, nineteen top Arctic institutes throughout Europe (including the International Polar Foundation) formally presented the results of the work done to investigate the feasibility of establishing a permanent EU Arctic Information Centre (EUAIC), a "network of networks" designed to provide quick and easy information about the Arctic to policy-makers.

On September 17, the "Antarctica – The Next Generation" conference will take place in Brussels, Belgium. It will present scientific research projects carried out at Princess Elisabeth Antarctica. The winner of the €150.000 InBev-Baillet Latour Antarctica Fellowship, awarded to young polar scientists, will also be announced.

To mark UN World Environment Day on June 5th, International Polar Foundation Executive Director Andreas Wagner presented the Gemeentelijk Technisch Instituut, in Londerzeel, Belgium with our annual award for initiatives that make a significant impact against climate change.  The school won the award for its project 'The Climate Crisis: Do Something About It! ' at the 9th Belgian Energy and Environment Awards, held in the Brussels landmark venue Tour & Taxis.

The official proceedings of the International Polar Foundation's 2013 Arctic Futures Symposium are available for download from the Arctic Futures website.

This week, the International Polar Foundation celebreates five years of endevour and success since Princess Elisabeth Antarctica was inaugurated on February 15, 2009. However, the journey from the station's concept to its physical reality was a long and challenging adventure - one that we would like to share with you.

To mark five years of hard work, scientific endeavour and adventure at Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, we asked Base Leader, International Polar Foundation president and polar explorer Alain Hubert to share his five strongest memories from since the idea for the station was conceived, and his five plans for the future.