International geoscience
BGS Research
BGS works globally to help stakeholders make better decisions about geology and the role of geological processes in underpinning the economy, environment and society. We are the UK’s premier provider of geological data, information and knowledge to help address major global challenges. Our work helps to support UK foreign and trade policies and demonstrates how the UK is tackling global challenges.
BGS has a powerful brand based on more than 100 years of international collaboration. Our work supports the objectives of UK Government and is truly global, with a track record of projects across Europe, Africa, South-east Asia, and Latin America. We carry out commissioned research and have our own BGS International Geoscience Research and Development programme.
Find out more about our research
International geoscience research and development
The BGS is active across the globe delivering institutional strengthening programmes and applied research projects across a wide variety of sectors.
International commissioned research
BGS has a strong portfolio of commissioned international programmes, including applied research covering the breadth of the BGS strategy, and capacity building projects across the world.
Related news
New UK/Chile partnership prioritises sustainable practices around critical raw materials
09/02/2026
BGS and Chile’s Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería have signed a bilateral scientific partnership to support research into critical raw materials and sustainable practices.
Extensive freshened water confirmed beneath the ocean floor off the coast of New England for the first time
09/02/2026
BGS is part of the international team that has discovered the first detailed evidence of long-suspected, hidden, freshwater aquifers.
Hole-y c*@p! How bat excrement is sculpting Borneo’s hidden caves
23/12/2025
BGS researchers have delved into Borneo’s underworld to learn more about how guano deposited by bats and cave-dwelling birds is shaping the subsurface.
BGS awarded funding to support Malaysia’s climate resilience plan
17/12/2025
The project, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, will focus on minimising economic and social impacts from rainfall-induced landslides.
BGS agrees to establish collaboration framework with Ukrainian government
11/12/2025
The partnership will focus on joint research and data exchange opportunities with Ukrainian colleagues.
New research shows artificial intelligence earthquake tools forecast aftershock risk in seconds
25/11/2025
Researchers from BGS and the universities of Edinburgh and Padua created the forecasting tools, which were trained on real earthquakes around the world.
New research highlights significant earthquake potential in Indonesia’s capital city
04/11/2025
Research reveals that a fault cutting through the subsurface of Jakarta could generate a damaging earthquake of high magnitude.
Fieldwork on Volcán de Fuego
13/10/2025
Understanding how one of the world’s most active volcanoes builds up material, and how they collapse to feed hot flows
PhD adventures in the Philippines: coring around Lake Bulusan
05/09/2025
Chris Bengt recounts his two-week field trip to Bulusan Volcano Natural Park in the Philippines to collect lake sediment cores, fresh soil and water samples.
Dr Kathryn Goodenough appointed as honorary professor by the University of Aberdeen
25/08/2025
Dr Goodenough will take up the position within the School of Geosciences with a focus on critical minerals and the energy transition.
BGS scientists work with United Nations to update hazard profiles
21/08/2025
From tsunamis to sinkholes, the profiles provide a standardised, internationally agreed definition of hazards to support disaster risk management worldwide.
IODP³-NSF Expedition 501: successful offshore operations launches onshore phase
06/08/2025
Scientists have managed to take water and sediment samples from beneath the ocean on the New England Shelf for the first time, with the intention of understanding this offshore aquifer system.
You may also be interested in
National geoscience
The National Geoscience programme is a forward-looking investment in UK geology that provides relevant, coherent and enriched geoscience knowledge for our stakeholders.
Digital geoscience
The BGS is a data-rich organisation. Our data science and data infrastructure are fundamental to our future research and underpin our strategic challenges.