The 4th International Polar Year 2007-2008 is a huge scientific programme focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic. It has been organized in the fiftieth anniversary of International Geophysical Year (IGY 1957-1958) through the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It covers two full annual cycles from March 2007 to March 2009 with over 200 projects carried out by scientists from 60 countries all over the world.

The basic priorities of the 4th International Polar Year are, except for the research, the popularization of knowledge on polar areas and education (More: Popularization and education) and a wide, unlimited access to data and information exchange (More: Data).