Instytut Gospodarki Surowcami Mineralnymi i Energią PAN (IGSMiE PAN)

The Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IGSMIE PAN) was established in 1986 in Krakow as a constituent unit of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The research carried out at the Institute are characterized by interdisciplinary and their complex character. They cover a full cycle of R&D processes – from basic research to application, with a particular emphasis on their usefulness. The interdisciplinary nature of the Institute’s activities includes in particular such disciplines as:

• Mining and geoengineering,
• Geology,
• Power engineering,
• Environmental engineering,
• Geophysics

and issues related to: economics, law, management, politics and environment. The scientific profile of the Institute includes the broadly understood issues of mineral and energy management, starting with the forecasting, identification and exploration of mineral deposits, through their development and the acquisition of raw materials, and ending with processing, enrichment and utilisation as well as recovery processes. Research and development activities include also different aspects of the strategy development and assessment of the domestic mineral and energy management, taking into account the newest technological developments and market, environmental, social and legal conditions. The Institute employs about 50 researchers – all of them specialists in environmental engineering, mining and energy engineering. The number of scientific publications by the Institute’s researchers reaches an average of almost 150 per year, out of which around 30-40 listed in the prestigious Journal Citation Report (JCR). There are four Departments in the Institute: The Department of Minerals and Energy Market Research, The Department of Geoengineering and Environmental Engineering, The Department of Renewable Energy and Environmental Research and The Department of Policy and Strategic Research. In the current Horizon2020 call the it’s the Division of Minerals and Energy Sustainable Development is active, being the part of the Department of Policy and Strategic Research. The team of the Division of Minerals and Energy Sustainable Development deals with all types of issues related to sustainable development, broadly understood, in the areas of mineral resources, raw materials and energy, focusing on legal, social, geological, mining, technical, economic and environmental conditions related to the use of raw materials and energy. The studies cover both problems related to the use of primary energy carriers (coal, crude oil and natural gas), renewable energy sources and the issues of effective energy use (electricity generation, heating and cooling) in light of resource depletion and changing environmental and demand requirements. The studies carried out by the team members are of a conceptual, scientific and applied character. The Division of Minerals and Energy Sustainable Development has already completed some research concerning social and economic aspects of coal region transformation. Team members provide training in the field of renewable energy and also promote a pro-ecological behaviour of individuals. The team takes part as a partner or coordinator in many project related in the clean energy, sustainable energy system as well as modelling and optimization of future energy mix of the country and regions. The consequences of energy transformation for societies and especially the methods of working out actions to prevent unwanted phenomena are of special interest of the group.