The Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) is one of the world´s leading polar research organisations and delivers significant contributions to the international research on climate, marine and coastal issues. AWI is a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (HGF), with a staff of more than 1200 employees. AWI conducts multidisciplinary research in the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as in temperate latitudes. In particular, AWI coordinates polar research in Germany and provides the necessary equipment, infrastructure, and logistics for other German institutions performing polar research. AWI keeps the German federal government updated on its research results and provides advice for the development of environmental policies. AWI conducts an extensive cooperation with numerous national and international institutions. Through memberships, AWI is embedded in a number of European Research initiatives, such as the European Polar Board (EPB), the European Marine Board (EMB), and the European Climate Research Alliance (ECRA). Furthermore, the International Coordination Office for Polar Prediction (ICO) is hosted by AWI.