international
polar
foundation

The IPF was invited to attend the 2010 Sibos financial conference in Amsterdam by organizer and long-time partner, SWIFT. A commitment had been taken at the last Sibos event in Hong Kong to make this year’s event as green as possible. The IPF worked closely with SWIFT on this project as part of the continued partnership.

IPF has been invited to attend the world’s premier financial services event – Sibos – being held in Amsterdam from October 25-29, 2010.

The president of the International Polar Foundation and famous polar explorer Alain Hubert attended the inauguration of the new “Métis” building at the Collège du Biéreau in Louvain-la-Neuve on October 8th. The new passive building, built with environmentally-friendly materials, houses a kindergarten and was equipped with high-end low-consumption equipment.

On October 14th & 15th, the European Parliament hosted the Arctic Futures Symposium, an event organized by the International Polar Foundation in collaboration with the Aspen Institute and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. The symposium, which welcomed over a hundred experts from North America (US and Canada), Europe (Arctic countries and others) and Australia included four workshops which aimed to "contribute to the informal dialogue between the EU and the Arctic countries", said International Polar Foundation President, Alain Hubert on the opening day.

From October 2nd to 17th, the general public will have the opportunity to discover the “Venturi Antarctica” at the Mondial de l’Automobile in Paris. Partnering with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the International Polar Foundation collaborated with car manufacturer Venturi from Monaco to develop the “Venturi Antarctica”, an electric vehicle to be used in the extreme conditions of Antarctica.

On September 17th, 2010, the community center “Bonnevie” and the association “l’ESPOIR”, officially inaugurated their project on Rue Fin in Molenbeek (Brussels) in the presence of Mrs Evelyne Huytebroeck, Minister for the Environment, Energy, Urban Regeneration and Aid to Individuals and Mr Alain Hubert, polar explorer and President of the International Polar Foundation. The project to build 14 passive duplex apartments was designed by architect Damien Carnoy and has involved the future inhabitants and owners of the apartments from its inception.

Saturday and Sunday 10th and 11th of July 2010, IPF-Switzerland participated in the eighth edition of "La Nuit de la Science" in Geneva, a very popular event organised every two years by the "Musée d’histoire des sciences".

On June 9th 2010, Schneider Electric organized a VIP Event in Ostend. The event, in which the IPF participated, started with an academic meeting that was opened by Jean-Paul Brees, President of Schneider Electric in Belgium.

Saturday 5th of June 2010, IPF-Switzerland was invited to participate in the World Environment Day organised by the United Nations in Geneva. An exhibition stand held by the swiss IPF team explained the Foundation’s activities to the public.

The IPF had an enjoyable and productive time during their stay at the IPY Oslo Conference. About 2,300 scientists, policymakers, teachers and students gathered at the Norway Convention Centre in Lillestrøm just outside Oslo between the 8th and 12th of June. Over the course of five days, polar researchers from all over the world gave 1,800 presentations.