Sullivan, Murkowski introduce bill to make NSF polar office permanent

The NSF office that funds most University of Alaska research would become permanent

The National Science Foundation office that funds more University of Alaska research than any other part of the agency would be made permanent under a bill introduced Wednesday in the US Senate.

Sens. Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, both Republicans of Alaska, introduced the Promoting Operational Leadership in Arctic and Antarctic Research Act with Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democrat. The measure would permanently authorize the NSF Office of Polar Programs and raise it to a full directorate. That is the same standing held by fields such as biology, engineering, computer science and mathematics. The bill would also require the agency to spell out how much of its polar funding goes to Arctic research and how much goes to Antarctic research.

The sponsors say permanent authorization would reinforce NSF's leadership and Alaska's role in polar research and development through education, workforce development and research infrastructure. They say the bill would strengthen the country's ability to observe, understand and predict physical, biological and geological processes in the polar regions. That work, they say, supports decision-making, navigational safety, national security and the long-term resilience of Alaska's communities.

The measure follows a longer pattern of building permanent Arctic and polar roles into federal institutions. Murkowski and Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, introduced legislation to make the Ambassador-At-Large for the Arctic Region a permanent position. Legislation from Murkowski and Sullivan created a Department of Defense regional center focused on the Arctic, named for the late Sen. Ted Stevens.

The University of Alaska system says NSF is its largest federal research sponsor, and that polar programs fund more UA research than any other NSF component.

"By elevating the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Office of Polar Programs to a full Directorate, this bill raises polar science to its rightful place alongside other important areas of science," said Michelle Rizk, interim president of the University of Alaska System.

A tighter federal science budget

The federal science budget has been under pressure this year. The Trump administration's fiscal 2027 request for NSF is $4 billion in discretionary funding, a decrease of $4.8 billion from the fiscal 2026 enacted level. An earlier Alaska News article on NSF funding noted that lawmakers at a July House hearing said NSF grant awards are down 55 percent from 2024 levels.

NSF announced a separate Alaska award in July. The agency selected the UAF-led Alaska Critical Mineral Collaborative as a Regional Innovation Engine, an award that could bring up to $160 million to the state over 10 years.