The German Science Council evaluated the AURORA BOREALIS project in May 2005 and recommended the construction of the research icebreaker in 2006 (see also History).

From March 2007 to January 2009 the German Federal Ministry for Science and Education (BMBF) funded the preparatory work for AURORA BOREALIS (grant no. 03F0464A). In this project the final engineering work for the development of the vessel was carried out under coordination of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Marine and Polar Research in the Helmholtz Association (AWI).

Project running time: March 2007 - January 2009

Two main targets:
1. Technical refinement of the vessel and model tests and
2. Implementation of AURORA BOREALIS as a European / international Research Icebreaker.

Technical development and modell testing

The Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research assigned the engineering office SCHIFFKO GmbH - Research and development of marine systems in Hamburg - for the general planning of the new research icebreaker AURORA BOREALIS. SCHIFFKO GmbH was founded in 1955. Since 2006, it belongs to the Finnish company Wärtsilä Ship Design.