ARCTIC CONNECTIONS 2025 – Space in the Arctic

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ARCTIC CONNECTIONS 2025
Space in the Arctic
31 March – 1 April 2025

Hybrid Format

SIOI | Piazza di S. Marco 51 | Rome

The international conference Arctic Connections is co-organized by the Italian Society for International Organization (SIOI), the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Rome and the High North Center for Business and Governance/Nord University of Bodø, in collaboration with Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Italian Navy and AB AQUA and with the media partnership of Rai Italia.
The event will take place over two days, March 31 and April 1, 2025.

On March 31, “Space in the Arctic” will take place. The event will offer an important opportunity for discussion and dialogue between Italian, Norwegian and international actors on the Arctic as a key region for space activities, and on how to achieve better space governance through international cooperation.
The event is co-sponsored by the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.

On April 1, “Arctic Eight and Beyond” will take place. The event is organized in collaboration with the Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI) of Oslo. The roundtable, composed of a selected number of experts, will focus on geopolitics and on tensions in the region and the role of new non-Arctic actors. A side event will be dedicated to Youth and Arctic Space.

On April 2, the Italian Navy will host an affiliated event to conclude the cycle of Arctic roundtables.

Programme

31 March

9:30 – 10:30 Opening Address
• Riccardo SESSA, President of SIOI
• Johan VIBE, Ambassador of Norway to Italy
• Andreas RASPOTNIK, Director, High North Center for Business and Governance
• Giuseppe BERUTTI BERGOTTO, Vice Admiral, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy
• Massimo Claudio COMPARINI, Managing Director of the Space Business Unit, Leonardo

Special Address

10:45 – 12:00 Panel I: “Emerging opportunities and threats to Space Cooperation and Security in the Arctic”
• Kjersti MOLDEKLEV, Domain Manager, Maritime, Norwegian Space Agency
• Barbara NEGRI, Human Flight and Science Experimentation Unit, Italian Space Agency
• Andreas RASPOTNIK, Director, High North Center for Business and Governance
• Giampiero DI PAOLO, CEO, Thales Alenia Space

Moderator: Trine JONASSEN, Editor in Chief, High North News

12:00 – 13:00 Panel II: “The Arctic communication infrastructure: challenges and prospects for development of transpolar coverage for security, forecasting, and the economy”
• Eystein SEDBERG, Business Development, Space & Surveillance, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS
• Antonio CECCARELLI, Vice President, Product Development and Engineering, Telespazio
• Angelo FONTANA, Senior Vice President for Strategies, Avio

Moderator: Ezio BUSSOLETTI, President, e-GEOS

14:30 – 15:45 Panel III: “Arctic Space Futures: unpacking Sustainability in the Space Industry”
• Ole DOKKA, Founder & Executive Director, Spaceport Norway
• Luca SPOGLI, Senior Research Scientist, National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, Vice President European Space Weather and Space Climate Association (E-SWAN)
• Filippo BRITTI , Head of Applications and Prototyping Innovation on Sensors, Algorithms, Applications and Services, E-Geos
• Pål RØSJØ, Ground Network Satellite Services AS, KSAT

Moderator: Baard Borch MICHALSEN, Associate Professor, UiT The Arctic University of Norway and High North Center, Nord University

16:00 – 17:15 Panel IV: “From Space to Sea: Emerging Governance Challenges beyond the Arctic Eight”
• Pietro ALIGHIERI, Rear Admiral, Senior Advisor to the Italian Chief of Defense
• Aldo PIGOLI, Professor, SIOI and Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Milan
• Serafima ANDREEVA, Researcher, Fridtjof Nansen Institute
• Filippo VERRE, Co-founder and President, AB AQUA, Post-Doc at Lund University, Center for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies, Sweden (online)

Moderator: Andreas ØSTHAGEN, Associate Professor at High North Center & Senior Researcher at Fridtjof Nansen Institute

17:30 Closing remarks
Adolfo URSO, Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy

1 April

9:45 – 10:00 Opening Address
• Giuseppe MORABITO, Board Member, SIOI
• Andreas ØSTHAGEN, Associate Professor at High North Center & Senior Researcher at Fridtjof Nansen Institute

10:00 – 12:30 Roundtable: “Arctic Eight and Beyond: The State of Geopolitics, Security, and Governance in the region”

Session 1: Status of Geopolitics and Cooperation in the Arctic – What has Changed?

• Andreas RASPOTNIK, Director, High North Center for Business and Governance
• Iselin NÉMETH WINTHER, Researcher, Fridjof Nansen Institute
• Serafima ANDREEVA, Researcher, Fridtjof Nansen Institute
• Marco DORDONI, PhD Researcher, University of Perugia

Session 2: Italy and the ArcticS
• Ivan CARUSO, Military Advisor, SIOI
• Gunnar REKVIG, Program Director and Senior Research Fellow at the Planning and Coordination Department, The Sasakawa Peace Foundation
• Giacomo DI CAPUA, Research Analyst, SIOI

Moderator: Andreas ØSTHAGEN, Senior Researcher, Fridtjof Nansen Institute

12:30 – 13:30 Panel: “Youth and Arctic Space: Best Practices and Opportunities”

• Therese KRISTIANSEN, Director People & Organization, KSAT
• Andrea GRANATA, Youth Delegate of Italy to the United Nations
• Antonino SALMERI, Chair, Space Generation Advisory Council (online)

Moderator: Baard Borch MICHALSEN, Associate Professor, UiT The Arctic University of Norway and High North Center, Nord University

13:30 Closing Remarks
Agostino PINNA, Special Envoy for the Arctic, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation

For further information: eventi@sioi.org – 066920781