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

Scientists set sail to investigate high-resolution sea level, climate and coral reef records
25/09/2023
BGS scientists are taking part in an expedition off Hawai’i to investigate sea-level changes recorded by ancient coral reefs.

In photos: a volcanic field trip
31/08/2023
Volcanologist Samantha Engwell visited the Cascades in the United States to learn more about the 1980 Mount St Helens volcanic eruption.

‘Core blimey!’ A PhD fieldwork trip to India
22/08/2023
PhD student Hamish Duncalf-Youngson recently visited Manipur, India, to assess the effects of aquaculture, environmental change and pollution at this internationally important site.

Living in a world made of sand
17/07/2023
Tom Bide and Clive Mitchell outline the BGS Sand and Sustainability project, which is working on geoscience-led solutions for the global issue of sand mining.

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.
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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.