The visit included a journey to Svalbard, where the Minister was accompanied by the Norwegian Minister of Research and Higher Education, Mrs.Tora Aasland, and the Norwegian Ambassador to India Ann Ollestad.
The visit to Svalbard included both Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund. Minister Chavan participated in several events organized by the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research. The Minister was given an introduction to Ny-Ålesund as a research arena by Kings Bay Director, Mr. Roger Jakobsen. At the Alfred Wegener Institute of Polar and Marine Research (The French-German joint research base (AWIPEV), the Indian Minister launched a balloon. He later visited the Indian Research Station at Himadri in which the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) is undertaking research activities. The Minister also paid a visit to the Zeppelin Mountain where he was guided by research director Mr. Kim Holmén from Norwegian Polar Institute. In Longyearbyen, Minister Chavan also visited Norwegian Mapping Authority, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and The University Centre in Svalbard.
Minister Chavan participated in the International Polar Year Conference (IPY) in Lillestøm outside Oslo held on the 8th June 2010 and gave a speech at the inaugural session. "For a tropical country like India, climate changes affect the monsoon rains, which are the backbone of the Indian economy," Mr Chavan said.
Later in Oslo the two ministers had a bilateral meeting where several issues related to strengthening the already existing bilateral research collaboration was discussed.
The Research Council of Norway presented to the Minister the Research co-operation between India and Norway under the Agreed Programme of Co-operation.
India has been involved in polar research since 1981. The India research station in Ny-Ålesund was inaugurated by former union minister of science and technology and earth sciences Kapil Sibal in 2008.