News

The University Centre of the Westfjords (UW) has secured a NordForsk grant for the "ARCHAIC" project (Sustainable and Resilient Communities in remote settlements in the Arctic in the Age of Climate Change). The overall objective of the project is to generate new knowledge about current and future climate adaptation and handling of natural hazard events in remote settlements in the Arctic, fostering sustainability and resilience.  Secondary research objectives are to develop new knowledge and solutions related to 1) the climate risk picture and community resilience, 2) early warning systems, 3) relocation from high-risk areas, 4) emergency preparedness and crisis management, and 5) transfer of climate adaptation experience from the Arctic.

The University Centre of the Westfjords (UW) received a generous gift at a recent open house event held in Vestrahús. The gift is an 86” screen called the Maxhub XBoard MTR, which combines a meeting display, Teams Rooms video conferencing equipment, a whiteboard, and wireless connectivity into one device. The donation comes from Þorsteinn Jóhannesson and his wife, Margrét Hreinsdóttir. Þorsteinn Jóhannesson is well known in Ísafjörður as the former chief physician at the regional hospital for nearly 30 years. He has also been active in municipal affairs and, most notably, played a key role in the founding of UW, with his company, Skurðlæknirinn ehf., being one of its founding members.

The University Centre of the Westfjords (UW) has been awarded a highly competitive NordForsk grant for the "LostToClimate" project, which will explore the unavoidable non-economic losses experienced by Arctic communities due to climate change. This collaborative effort brings together scientists and community members from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Greenland, Canada, and the United States, including several Indigenous communities, to co-produce knowledge that can inform future adaptation strategies.

At the annual general meeting of the University Centre of the Westfjords last Friday, March 14, 2025, where all the founding members are gathered, UW director announced under other matters his intention to pass the baton during 2025.

Last Friday, UW marked its 20th anniversary with an open house at Vestrahús. Several other institutions in the building also participated in the celebration, which featured a diverse program and exceeded expectations for attendance. The day began with the annual meeting, which is typically held in May, but this time was scheduled closer to UW’s founding date to coincide with the anniversary and integrated with the open house.

The annual meeting of the board and founding members of UW, will be held on Friday March 14th at 13:00. UW is a nonprofit educational institute and the annual meeting is open to guests. Previous years the annual meeting has taken place in May, but on the occasion of UW's 20th anniversary, the board decided to honour the founders with an annual meeting closer to the day UW was founded, March 12th. Founding UW, an higher educational institute was a bold step at that time, given the fact that the number of inhabitants in the Westfjords is only around 7500 people. Since then, UW  has become an active link in Iceland's higher education landscape and a beacon for learning outside the capital area.

The University Centre of the Westfjords (UW) is thrilled to announce that Brianna Marie Cunliffe, a first-year master’s student in the Coastal Communities and Regional Development program, has received a 350,000 ISK research grant from the Icelandic Regional Development Institute. The funding will support her thesis project, titled “Participatory Energy Planning for Resilient Coastal Westfjords Futures.”

We are proud to announce that Christoph Pfülb, a second-year master’s student in the Coastal Communities and Regional Development program at the University Centre of the Westfjords (UW), has received a prestigious research grant from the Icelandic Regional Development Institute. His thesis project, titled "Volunteerism and Emergency Management in Iceland: Examining the Role of Place Attachment and Local Engagement in Search and Rescue and Disaster Relief Organizations", addresses critical aspects of local community resilience in the face of natural hazards and climate change.

The University Centre of the Westfjords (UW) turns 20 years old this year. Twenty years ago, the people in the Westfjords were fighting for many things: paved roads, tunnels, mobile phone service, coastal fishing and shipping, safety, electricity at Christmas, and, yes, a university. No more, no less.

The University Centre of the Westfjords (UW) is delighted to share the news that yet another master’s student has received funding from the Westfjords Development Fund. The fund aims to support cultural projects, business development, and innovation in the Westfjords, and to provide support for start-ups and operating costs to cultural institutions in the Westfjords. Brendan Kirby, a master’s student at UW in the Coastal Communities and Regional Development program, received a 400,000 ISK grant to develop a climbing guide for the Westfjords.