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 also have our own International Geoscience Research and Development programme.
Research projects

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.
Relative topics
Related news

Harare’s clean drinking water challenge
31/05/2023
Researchers from BGS and partners in Zimbabwe report on the urban water supply challenge in the capital city, Harare.

Island groundwater management in the Philippines: part one — Boracay
19/04/2023
BGS’s Andy Barkwith and Andy McKenzie travelled to the Philippines to undertake collaborative research and outreach with Filipino partners for a national hydrological modelling project. In this first blog, they discuss the first week of work on small islands.

How does public water use influence the amount of phosphorus in the environment?
11/04/2023
New research looks at how phosphorus accumulates in public water systems in the USA.

A tale of two groundwaters
21/03/2023
Why the United Nations 2023 Water Conference needs to know more about groundwater.

The Kahraman Maraş earthquake sequence, Turkey/Syria
14/02/2023
Two large earthquakes occurred within hours of each other on 6 February 2023.

One year on: reflections on the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption
18/01/2023
The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai Volcano in January 2022 has highlighted a global unpreparedness for the impacts from large-scale global events.

IODP Expedition 386: hosting a sampling party in Japan
19/12/2022
BGS help lead the final phase of IODP Expedition 386 in Japan, coordinating science colleagues from around the globe to extract samples from sediment cores aboard DV Chikyu.

New geological map of the Maltese Islands published
19/12/2022
The new map, commissioned by Malta’s Continental Shelf Department, is the first update for almost 30 years.

BGS scientists on board research vessel in Japan in major marine research collaboration
25/11/2022
Experts from BGS’s marine team are part of a major international marine research collaboration to understand more about earthquakes associated with the Japan Trench.

Missing components of nitrogen cycling budgets across the United States
23/09/2022
As a BGS-hosted Lancaster University PhD student, Elizabeth Flint has been working to understand the effects of water supply processes upon macronutrient cycling.

A PhD in Peru: a country of contrasts
23/09/2022
PhD student Tom Gribbin explains his work on water security in the Peruvian ‘water towers’.

Zambia: the copper mining powerhouse looking towards a safer, low-carbon future
25/07/2022
BGS scientists Clive Mitchell (industrial minerals geologist) and Elliott Hamilton (environmental chemist) report on their recent visit to the Copperbelt Province in Zambia.
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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.

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.