Belgian researchers head to Antarctic polar station

A team of 26 researchers and support staff is currently en route to the Belgian polar research station Princess Elisabeth, located in Antarctica, according to the secretary of state for science policy Thomas Dermine.  

The team, which will join other Belgian researchers who have already arrived at the polar station, will undertake studies in glaciology, terrestrial magnetism and climate change.

The announcement came as part of Dermine’s policy statement to the government’s Committee on Mobility and Federal Institutions on Tuesday. The science component of the statement also included plans to renovate certain sites, including integrating the Planetarium into the Neo development project on the Heysel site in Brussels, and initiatives to encourage children and young people to become more interested in the so-called "STEM" courses and disciplines (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

The secretary of state for science policy also announced his intention to improve access to and increase visibility of artworks in the capital’s many museums, many of which, he claimed, remained hidden from the public.

In addition, further research on Belgium’s colonial past, the accessibility of archives and the development of a policy of restitution of works of art and human remains will also be carried out in the wake of the work of the special parliamentary committee set up to study the issue.