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Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières

French geological survey

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  • 7 chapters

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BRGM was founded in 1959. It is a public establishment of an industrial and commercial nature (EPIC). It reports to the ministries in charge of research, ecology, and economical matters. It is based in the French prefecture of Orléans. Michèle Rousseau is its chair and managing director and Christophe Poinssot its deputy managing director.

BRGM's scope covers several activities such as scientific research expertise, innovation and transfer, analysis and experimentation, mining risk prevention and safety, higher education, ongoing vocational training, dissemination of knowledge and open science. It employs more than 1,000 people, including over 700 engineers and researchers, at its 27 regional branches in Metropolitan France and French overseas territories. Its teams operate in about thirty countries.

BRGM's scientific strategy is based on six major scientific and societal challenges: geology and knowledge of the subsurface, management of groundwater, risks and spatial planning, mineral resources and the circular economy, energy transition and underground space, data, digital services and infrastructure.

History and origins

The creation of BRGM

The French Geological Survey [Bureau de recherches géologiques et minières (BRGM)] was officially created by a decree on 23 October 1959. It is the result of the merger of several French geological and mining establishments, namely:

  • the Bureau of Geological, Geophysical and Mining Research (BRGGM), itself heir to the Bureau of Geological and Geophysical Research (BRGG) founded in 1941 by Edmond Friedel and Pierre Pruvost, then intended to map the subsurface of France;
  • the Mining Bureau of Overseas France (BUMIFOM),
  • the Bureau of Mining Research in Algeria (BRMA),
  • the French Guiana Mining Bureau (BMG).

Milestones in BRGM's history

BRGM developed its organisation and activities throughout the 1960s. During this decade, it gradually extended its coverage of the national territory, while its scope extended beyond the borders of France. In 1965, all the teams were grouped together at a single site, at Orléans-La Source. This new technical and scientific centre grouped together most of the institution's resources.

In 1968, BRGM absorbed the French geological mapping service, which had been created a century earlier by Napoleon III. This merger allowed it to cover the entire production chain, from field surveying to publishing.

Just as BRGM finished laying the foundations of its organisation and activities, the 1973 oil crisis occurred. The organisation was able to ensure France's supply of oil, and became the key operator in France's prospection strategy. Its expertise and resources were also used for mining operations. In French regions and abroad, BRGM, with its growing reputation as the subsurface specialist, was henceforth increasingly called upon.

After a golden age paradoxically due to the 1973 oil crisis, BRGM faced a series of difficulties throughout the 1980s. Several mining projects failed. The establishment then strengthened its regional proximity and developed its role in renewable energies while focusing on commercial activities, particularly in the field of spatial planning. In the 1990s, mining and engineering activities were assigned to subsidiaries to enable the establishment to focus on its two missions of public service and scientific research.

In 1999, BRGM set up a new organisation to better tailor its offer to meet societal needs and better respond to new environmental challenges like limited groundwater resources. By withdrawing from its activity as a mining investor and transferring most of its engineering work in France to its subsidiary Antea, which was then sold in 2003, BRGM asserted its research and development role. The new focus on the environment and natural hazards was confirmed by a decree of 20 September 2004 which placed BRGM under the triple supervision of the Ministries of Research, Industry and the Environment.

In 2019, BRGM reaffirmed its general public-service mission, combining research, support for public policies and innovation, in France and abroad. It presented its new 10-year scientific strategy, organised around six major scientific and societal issues.

Chairs and management from 1941 to the present day

  • 1941 : Edmond Friedel, director (BRGG); Jean Goguel, deputy director (1941–1952); Pierre Laffitte, deputy director (1952–1953)
  • 1953 to 1959 : Pierre Laffitte, managing director of BRGGM
  • 1960 to 1964 : Roland Pré, chair of BRGM; Michel Duhameaux, managing director (1960–1961); Henri Nicolas, managing director (1961–1964)
  • 1964 to 1972 : Pierre Signard, chair; Henri Nicolas, managing director (1964–1968); Claude Beaumont, managing director (1968–1972)
  • 1972 to 1979 : Yves Perrin, chair; Claude Beaumont, managing director (1972–1975); Paul-Henri Bourrelier, managing director (1975–1979)
  • 1979 to 1986 : Jean Audibert, chair; Paul-Henri Bourrelier, managing director (1975–1984); Maurice Allègre, managing director (1984–1986)
  • 1986 to 1988 : Gérard Renon, chair; Maurice Allègre, managing director (1986–1988)
  • 1988 to 1992 : Maurice Allègre, chair; Claude Mandil, managing director (1988–1990); Jean-Pierre Hugon, managing director (1990–1992)
  • 1992 to 1997 : Claude Allègre, chair; Jean-Pierre Hugon, managing director (1992–1997)
  • 1997 to 2003 : Bernard Cabaret, chair; Yves Le Bars, managing director (1997–1999); Yves Caristan, managing director (1999–2003)
  • 2003 to 2009 : Philippe Vesseron, chair and managing director; Yves Caristan, deputy managing director (2003–2004); Didier Houssin, deputy managing director (2004–2007); François Démarcq, deputy managing director (October 2007 – 2009)
  • 2009 to 2013 : Jean-François Rocchi, chair and managing director; François Démarcq, deputy managing director (2009–2013)
  • 2013 to 2016 : Vincent Laflèche, chair and managing director (from 3 July); François Démarcq, deputy managing director (2013 – January 2016), then Pierre Toulhoat, deputy managing director (from February 2016)
  • 2016–2017(interim) : Pierre Toulhoat, acting managing director, scientific director and director of Strategy and Evaluation
  • Since 2017 : Michèle Rousseau, BRGM chair and managing director

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