2025 marks iC3’s third year as a Research Council of Norway Centre of Excellence. Since its start-up in 2023, the Centre has grown into a dynamic and collaborative hub for polar cryospheric research, supporting groundbreaking science and fostering a stimulating research environment. iC3 scientists continue to contribute vital scientific knowledge on ice sheets, carbon cycles and ocean ecosystems through interdisciplinary collaboration across the entire ice-to-ocean continuum, via both field campaigns in Svalbard, Greenland, mainland Norway and Antarctica, and integration of observational science and modelling. Early career researchers remain central to iC3’s strategic vision and play a key role through their active commitment to both science and communication. Furthermore, iC3’s research infrastructure is expanding, with the PolarMAGIC lab now fully operational, and the PlasmaLab successfully funded and under development. Over the coming year, iC3 will continue its pursuit of high-impact science driven by important collaborations between UiT The Arctic University of Norway, the Norwegian Polar Institute, and NORCE, and supported by its vibrant research culture.