Vision & Mission

Founded at UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, the Lie-Størmer Center is the first national research center for mathematics in Norway. Located at 69°N above the polar circle, we are the world's northernmost mathematics institute, welcoming international visitors to Tromsø.

Our vision is to create an internationally renowned center for mathematical research that permanently continues to follow the path set by Sophus Lie and Carl Størmer — bridging pure and computational mathematics while integrating into the global family of mathematical research institutes. We emphasize mathematical structures such as algebra, geometry, and topology that underlie computation and data.

As an elected member of the European Research Centres on Mathematics (ERCOM), we join a network of leading mathematics institutes committed to advancing mathematical research at the highest international standards. We believe that mathematics grows best in dialogue — across disciplines, across generations of researchers, and across geographical borders.

The Lie-Størmer Center advances fundamental research in algebra, geometry, and topology as they intersect with computational mathematics. We create dialogue between theory and application, bringing together researchers from diverse mathematical traditions to explore structure-preserving methods and their role in modern computation.

Our mission is the fostering of a future generation of high-level mathematicians trained to identify and work on problems at the forefront of research at the interface between computational and pure mathematics. We work towards the unification of pure and computational mathematics to arrive at the creation of new connections and principles that allow new computational approaches to fundamental questions.

As a collaborative initiative between the Universities of Tromsø and Bergen, the center serves as a national nucleus for mathematicians throughout Norway. We organize research into six interrelated themes addressing fundamental mathematical structures: CONnections, DEFormations, COMpositions, REPresentations, LINearization, and POLynomials. These themes emphasize local-versus-global perspectives and algebraic bridges between continuous and discrete representations.

The center is supported by the Trond Mohn Foundation, Tromsø Research Foundation, and the Research Council of Norway, which provided an eight-year award establishing our Mathesis research school. Through regular colloquia, masterclasses, and international workshops, we create sustained dialogue across mathematical traditions. Our governance structure includes a Scientific Council of five members, a Scientific Advisory Board of six prominent scientists, and a Board of Directors with representatives from both universities, industry, and the Norwegian Mathematical Society.

At the Lie-Størmer Center, we foster dialogue through collaborative research projects, our Mathesis international doctoral school, and a strong culture of scientific exchange and outreach. We offer specialized master's and PhD courses featuring insights from international experts, designed to inspire a new generation of mathematicians to follow in the footsteps of Lie and Størmer, blending theoretical acumen with computational expertise.

The center welcomes researchers and students from around the world. Through our Lie-Størmer Masterclass, CIMPA fellowship programme, and invitation-only colloquium, we establish Tromsø as a meeting place for mathematicians worldwide, creating sustained opportunities for collaboration across mathematical traditions.