Responding more effectively to socio-economic challenges involving the ground and subsurface while ensuring better continuity between research, expert appraisal and innovation for public authorities and businesses: these are the main challenges BRGM has set itself with its new science strategy. It defines BRGM's major scientific objectives for the next 10 years.
Organised around six key objectives, BRGM's new science strategy aims to make the institution's actions easier to grasp. It is organised into key fields of application and cross-cutting missions.
BRGM is a public institution of an industrial and commercial nature under the supervision of the Ministries of Research, Ecology and the Economy. It is also committed to the Government through its Objectives and Performance Contract, which defines the main actions to be carried out by BRGM over the period 2023-2027.
BRGM's science strategy: Scientific objectives for the next 10 years
Geoscience in response to global challenges
BRGM's mission is to combine research, expert appraisal, and technological and industrial development concerning the ground and subsurface, both in France and abroad.
BRGM's science strategy sets out the French Geological Survey’s objectives, in order to address major socio-economic issues in which the ground and subsurface play a key role.
Positioned as the authoritative institution for ground and subsurface research, BRGM is directly involved in meeting major expectations such as the growing importance of environmental issues in response to climate change, the resurgence of the need to secure responsible supply chains of raw materials and the technological changes involved in the energy transition.
A science strategy updated in 2024
After 5 years, during which a first version of this strategy was implemented, initially in the field of research, BRGM wished, in accordance with the commitments made in its Objectives, Resources and Performance Contract for the period 2023-2027, to update it by adapting it to changes in the socio-economic challenges of recent years and, noting the many benefits of this approach, to broaden the scope covered by the strategy to include the entire range of the institution's activities and in particular ensure the continuum of activities between research and expertise or innovation.
For this updated edition, the institution relied on its ongoing attentiveness to the needs and expectations of stakeholders in its ecosystem, on consultation with its staff and science committee, and on several internal working groups, to draw up a revised version of the strategy, which is now structured around the following six scientific programmes, all perfectly aligned with the institution's key objectives.
A science programme designed to address six key challenges
The 6 challenges of BRGM's scientific strategy.
© BRGM
This science strategy has been built around six major and complementary challenges concerning the ground and subsurface, to which the institution wishes to respond.
4 socio-economic and environmental objectives
This strategy is structured around four main socio-economic and environmental objectives:
Protecting groundwater resources
Management of groundwater resources, particularly to respond to the upheavals caused by climate change and the pressure exerted by human activity.
Managing ground and subsurface risks
Regional resilience to natural hazards, risks associated with subsurface uses and risks due to past mining and industrial activities.
Ensuring a responsible supply of mineral resources
A sustainable and responsible supply of primary and secondary mineral resources for France.
Using the subsurface for the energy transition and decarbonisation
The potential of underground storage solutions and energy sources for the energy transition.
2 cross-cutting activities
In addition, there are the specific scientific and technical tasks of a geological survey, which also contribute to attaining the previous objectives:
Understanding and modelling regional geological formations
Knowledge of the subsurface, primarily in France, but also in many other parts of the world, particularly in Africa.
Transforming the geosciences through digital technology
Environmental data management and related services.
Our 6 major challenges
The State-BRGM objectives, resources and performance contract for 2023-2027
BRGM is a public industrial and commercial institution working under the supervision of the Ministries responsible for research, the environment and mining.
The State-BRGM objectives and performance contract reflects the vision shared by the French Government and BRGM for implementing our strategic policies. It will guide the institution's activities for the period 2023-2027.
3 key goals for 2023-2027
Structured around 3 main goals, it sets 13 objectives and 31 actions to be undertaken:
Goal 1: Carry out an ambitious scientific policy for the acquisition of new knowledge in order to be able to respond more fully to societal challenges
This goal aims to stimulate and consolidate its scientific activity and strengthen BRGM's role in the research and innovation ecosystem in order to make a decisive contribution to mitigating and adapting to climate change, as well as to the key role of the subsurface in energy and ecological transitions.
It describes the actions relating to the institution's scientific policy, its breakdown into scientific programmes, its partnership strategy and its digital strategy. Actions aim in particular at improving the management of scientific knowledge and expertise in the medium term, and especially at increasing the number of young doctoral and post-doctoral students.
Goal 2: Develop BRGM's impact on society through its science, innovation and expertise
The aim is to strengthen BRGM's impact on society, in particular through expert appraisal with high scientific added-value for the State and local authorities, but also to increase the dissemination of environmental information to civil society and citizens.
This means strengthening synergy when research results are transferred to ensure expert appraisal at the highest level.
Goal 3: A management system committed to sustainable development, modernised and simplified to strengthen its economic model and resources
This last goal reflects the desire to modernise and simplify processes and tools to ensure greater efficiency in operating and managing the institution. Actions will include optimising financial management and reducing the institution's carbon footprint.
BRGM’s open science policy 2022
BRGM, the French geological survey, is a leading national and European player in the field of science and information on ground and the subsurface and its resources. It plays an increasing role as a widely acknowledged centre for ground and subsurface data both for the French Government and for European infrastructures such as the European Plate Observing System (EPOS) and the European Geological Survey Alliance EuroGeoSurveys and international ones, in particular for OneGeology.
As the manager of a very large number of open-access databases, which are part of its public-policy support activities, it is committed to sharing the results of its research activities as much as possible.
BRGMs open science policy aims to standardise practices at the level of the institution and to accelerate the process in all the scientific fields covered by the French geological survey.