The white papers were developed by a specially se-lected team of EU and overseas experts from diverse areas of polar research. These experts were challenged to identify polar research topics with a clear societal relevance and a specific im-portance for Europe that could make them suitable for future EU support. These topics will, if adopted, further enhance EU research excellence, increase efficient use of European resourc-es and expertise, and lead to a step change in data availability, access and interoperability. They will further increase the scale of polar research cooperation in Europe and, by including non-EU partners, will improve global cooperation. Each of the topics em-ploys a strongly interdisciplinary approach to deliver benefits in the complex and multi-faceted real-world of policy issues. Some of the white papers describe approaches that step outside tra-ditional disciplinary boundaries, offering a transformational or even ‘post-disciplinary’ approach. Each is designed to deliver tangible benefits to problems that arise in the Polar Regions from the complex interactions of a changing physical environ-ment, stressed ecosystems, complex issues of sovereignty and governance, and layered cultural and social structures