Polar research vessels demand increasingly greater endurance due to their special scientific research missions. A marine plant factory solution is proposed to address the problem of vegetable shortage for long-endurance polar research vessels, ensuring continuous supply of vegetables. The applied research of plant factory technologies for polar research vessels is conducted by discussing the key technologies, environmental control requirements and type selection of marine plant factories. A design method for the plant factory on long-endurance polar research vessels is then presented to provide references for ship designers.