On 18 May 2026, the leadership of the University of Geological Sciences held an official meeting with a delegation from BRGM, France’s geological survey.
Over the following days, with representatives of BRGM and France’s University of Lorraine, the university hosted international seminars on “Metals for energy and digital transformations: from resources to metals”. Dr A. G. Guezennec and Dr R. Michels lectured on critical raw materials and ore-processing technologies, the nature of fossil organic matter and its role in forming metal deposits, the environmental impact of geological processes (water, energy and waste) and germanium in coal. The guests also took part in a conference on women in the geosciences.
An EU project on critical raw materials
On 19 May, the university also hosted the kick-off meeting of DATA4CRM, part of the launch of the EU–Uzbekistan critical raw materials (CRM) project, which aims to develop geological research in support of exploration for critical raw materials. Deputy Minister R. Yusupov opened the meeting. It brought together EuroGeoSurveys members — the geological surveys of Finland (GTK), the Czech Republic (ČGS) and France (BRGM), Poland’s PGI-NRI and Germany’s BGR — with the EU Delegation to Uzbekistan and Uzbek institutions including the Uzbekistan Technological Metals Combine, O‘zbekgeologiyaqidiruv, the Subsoil Use Centre and the Institute of Mineral Resources.
Why it matters
These visits are about minerals rather than geothermal energy, but they build the same partnership: shared geological data, training and joint projects with France’s geological survey.
