Institute characteristics
The Research Plan of the Institute of Geonics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IGN) for years 2023 - 2027 follows earlier research activities and further develops the results achieved. Especially in the shorter time horizon, it is largely influenced by the projects to be solved. In the longer term, the research activities of the individual departments correspond to the directions of development of the Institute's research activities based on the current trends in world science in the relevant fields, the needs of society and, last but not least, the conclusions and recommendations from the Evaluation of Research and Professional Activities of the Institutes of the CAS for 2015–2019.
The scientific topics addressed by the IGN cover a broad spectrum of research activities that include the fields of natural, technical and social sciences. The Institute is involved in basic and applied research motivated mainly by geoengineering and environmental applications that respond to global societal needs. Currently, research focuses on the following areas:
- Multifunctional protection of building and decorative stone under demanding climatic conditions.
- Environmentally friendly biopolymer-smectite composites for the removal of pharmaceuticals from aqueous environments.
- Mechanical behavior of rocks under extreme physical conditions with a focus on the environment of geothermal systems.
- Analysis of the phenomena and processes involved in the generation and propagation of various types of high-speed fluid flows, investigation of their behavior and their useful application in practice.
- Investigation of the influence of structural and textural elements on the failure of transversely isotropic rock using 4D computed tomography.
- Dynamics of subsidence basins formed during deep mineral exploitation, consequences of surface exploitation after mine closure (automatic geodetic monitoring).
- Geotechnical characterization of the rock massif (ecological underground structures – storage of radioactive waste, energy reservoirs, slope deformations, sustainable extraction of raw materials, stability of underground spaces, use of old underground spaces).
- Mathematical modeling, numerical simulation and validation of hydro-mechanical processes in the bentonite and rock barrier of a deep repository for spent nuclear fuel.
- Investigation of the stability of tunnels, subsoils, slopes and dams using optimization methods and computational plasticity.
- Development of the PERMON software library for solving large-scale geotechnical problems and development of other publicly available libraries that enable the application of stochastic analysis and machine learning methods.
- Spatial diffusion and social acceptance of renewable energy sources - socio-cultural impacts of the energy transition to a low-carbon society.
- Recycling of urban space and its accessibility - investigation of ongoing changes, socio-spatial aspects and positive and negative impacts in different types of regions.
- Transformation of agriculture and the issue of food security - analysis of the current changes that the food and agricultural sector is undergoing.
- Issues of specific environmental risks and their management - changes in the landscape because of global climate change.
