Geological Institute St. Dimitrov

For sixty years now the Geological Institute has been a leading research organization among the Earth sciences institutes of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Basic and applied research studies for all the most important areas of Bulgarian geology are performed in the Institute. In the last decade the Geological Institute has developed as the largest national research and expert scientific organization in geology, here the classical geological disciplines as well as the current challenges in the field of geoscience are successfully integrated. The main research activities in the Institute are directed to study of the geoenvironment of the Bulgarian territory aiming to support the sustainable development of contemporary society and harmonic safe control of the issues associated with geohazards. From the first years till now, side by side with the research activities closely related to the needs of the national economy and society, the scientists of the Institute have distributed their knowledge in university education and in international research collaboration.

The scientists of the Institute have been, and still are among the leading university lecturers, supervising a significant number of MSc and PhD students. Presently, the Geological Institute has delegated experts in more than 20 international scientific and expert organizations. The Geological Institute was founded in 1947. After only a few years it was recognized as a research organization of national importance where the scientific basis of a complex study of the geology of Bulgaria in all main geological disciplines - paleontology, stratigraphy, tectonics, mineralogy, geochemistry, petrology, hydrogeology and engineering geology had been established.