GeoERA: Pan-European teamwork towards open access European geological knowledge

The European Union is facing a number of challenges that are firmly linked to subsurface resources. On the one hand, there is the aim of stimulating economic growth with primary resources as a vital element in the chain. On the other hand, there is a need to support a healthy and secure environment for all citizens. Moreover, the growing population and the demographic change adds to the pressure of the land utilization on surface and subsurface. All together, this increasingly puts pressure on the availability and use of natural resources, including geo-energy, raw materials and groundwater.

Geological knowledge freely accessible and transnational

National governments and the European Union are trying to formulate adequate climate and energy policies, but without reliable, transboundary data and information it is hard to build a policy with a rational, rigorous  and systematic approach. Until now, geological information about the European subsurface has mostly remained confined to the Geological Survey Organizations of individual European countries. The GeoERA programme, is a first step towards making geological knowledge about our continent freely accessible and transnational. Within the programme, which runs since July 2018, 44 institutions from 32 European countries are cooperating on 15 transnational geological research projects on the topics of geo-energy, groundwater, raw materials and geoinformation.