Iceland’s then-president Olafur Ragnar Grimsson at a press conference during the 2015 Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik. Grimsson was behind the formation of the assembly and its philosophy of the importance of including a range of voices, even from those outside of the circumpolar North, when discussing Arctic affairs. (Halldor Kolbeins/AFP/Reuters)
Iceland has given the green light to the new Olafur Ragnar Grimsson Arctic institute and has announced financial support towards the project.
“At its last meeting, the government agreed on Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir’s proposal for the establishment of the Olafur Ragnar Grimsson institute on Arctic issues in Reykjavík,” the government said in a news release on Tuesday. “Arctic Circle will receive 10 million ISK from the government’s joint budget to support further preparations for the project.”