BEIJING, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-five universities and research organizations jointly established a polar research center in Beijing on Sunday, with an aim to promote polar information sharing and research.

Based at Beijing Normal University, the center has 25 members and will focus on research such as environmental monitoring and simulation of polar regions, polar environmental change and its global impact, navigated channel resources, the polar economy, and sustainable development.

Cheng Xiao, president of the College of Global Change and Earth System Science at the university, said that polar research involves multiple disciplines and needs cooperation.

Cheng said that the climate of the North and South Poles and their environmental changes is affecting the global climate and humans. The understanding, use, and protection of the polar regions has great significance to national security and economy.

In the next five years, the center will set up 10 educational bases in the polar regions, and strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation.