BRGM is France's public reference institution in Earth Science applications for the management of surface and subsurface resources and risks. It also deals with geological surveys of French territory. 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: 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 some 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. Source: Wikipedia (en)