iCRAG
iCRAG (Research Ireland Centre for Applied Geosciences) is a Dublin-based multi-institutional research center hosted by University College Dublin, applying geoscience across 10 Irish universities to support mineral exploration, groundwater and marine protection, and geohazard mitigation for industry, government, and the public.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What iCRAG does
iCRAG (the Research Ireland Centre for Applied Geosciences) is a multi-institutional research center hosted by University College Dublin, established in 2015. It comprises 150+ researchers distributed across ten Irish universities and institutions (UCD, TCD, UCC, NUIG, Maynooth, DCU, DIAS, UL, TU Dublin, Teagasc) and is led by Director Prof. Sarah A. Gleeson (appointed 2025) with Prof. Murray W. Hitzman serving as Co-Principal Investigator after his tenure as Director (2018–2024). Its research is organised around four challenge areas — Earth System Change, Earth Resources, Earth Science in Society, and Platform Technologies — addressing sustainable discovery of energy resources and raw materials for decarbonisation, groundwater and marine resource protection, and geohazard mitigation (flooding, landslides, sinkholes).
The center operates four core research platforms: the 3D Ireland Model (subsurface geological modelling for mineral exploration and groundwater), the National Centre for Isotope Geochemistry (NCIG, a world-class analytical facility at UCD and TCD), the Geophysics Research Platform (seismic sensing and imaging), and the Geodata Analytics Platform (Big Data and Deep Learning for pattern recognition in geological datasets). A new €1.56M Quantum Sensing Laboratory at University College Cork (2026) extends the portfolio into quantum geotechnical sensing. iCRAG has produced 2,700+ peer-reviewed publications, secured 6 European Research Council awards, trained 59 PhDs and 154 postdoctoral researchers, and engaged 99 industry partners over its first decade.
Its revenue model is grant-based and non-commercial: primary funding flows from Research Ireland (formerly Science Foundation Ireland) and Geological Survey Ireland, with cost-share and collaborative contributions from 20+ industry partners (mining, energy, environmental, and government segments). Research outputs are delivered through academic publication, industry partnership agreements, government policy briefings, and public engagement programs (e.g., Get into Geoscience, GreenDealz). Cumulative research funding since inception stands at €187M. The organization is privately structured as a research center hosted by UCD, with no parent company, subsidiaries, or equity ownership — governance rests with the Director and Executive Management Committee.
iCRAG firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- iCRAG
- Legal name
- iCRAG Research Ireland Centre for Applied Geosciences
- Website
- https://icrag-centre.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- iCRAG (Research Ireland Centre for Applied Geosciences) is a Dublin-based multi-institutional research center hosted by University College Dublin, applying geoscience across 10 Irish universities to support mineral exploration, groundwater and marine protection, and geohazard mitigation for industry, government, and the public.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
iCRAG industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Applied Geosciences Research
- NAICS
- Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling) (IMAKAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAM), Geotechnical Design, Engineering & Consulting (Analysis, Design, Peer Review) (IMAFAOAK), Environmental Data Management Platforms (EHS/EMS, LIMS, ELN, Compliance Data Hubs) (EUAHAKAA)
Keywords
Where iCRAG is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
iCRAG business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Research Ireland (formerly SFI) Core Funding: Primary government funding from Research Ireland to support the Centre for Applied Geosciences operations and research programs
- Geological Survey Ireland Support: State agency funding for applied geoscience research and national geological mapping initiatives
- Industry Partner Contributions: Industry partners provide cost-share contributions and collaborative research funding
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
iCRAG product offering
Product offeringCore offering
iCRAG is the Research Ireland Centre for Applied Geosciences, a multi-institutional research center hosted at University College Dublin that delivers applied geoscience research across four challenge areas: Earth System Change, Earth Resources, Earth Science in Society, and Platform Technologies. The center operates research platforms including the 3D Ireland geological model, the National Centre for Isotope Geochemistry (NCIG), a Geophysics Research Platform, and a Geodata Analytics Platform, providing research outputs, analytical services, and collaborative research to industry, government, and academic partners.
Product overview
iCRAG is the Research Ireland Centre for Applied Geosciences, a multi-institutional research center hosted by University College Dublin. Rather than a commercial product company, iCRAG operates as a research consortium comprising multiple platforms and programs including the 3D Ireland geological modelling platform, National Centre for Isotope Geochemistry (NCIG), Geophysics Research Platform, and Geodata Analytics Platform. The center organizes its research around four challenge areas: Earth System Change, Earth Resources, Earth Science in Society, and Platform Technologies. It also delivers public engagement through the Get into Geoscience Programme and GreenDealz toolkit. Research capabilities include advanced geochemical analysis, geophysical imaging, machine learning for geological data, and 3D subsurface modelling.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- 3D Ireland Model A 3D geological modelling platform developing refined models of the Irish subsurface to support mineral exploration and groundwater resource management.
- National Centre for Isotope Geochemistry (NCIG) World-class analytical facility co-located at University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin, providing geochemical analysis services for ore research, sediment provenance, and groundwater studies.
- Geophysics Research Platform Seismic sensing and imaging infrastructure providing subsurface characterization for ore deposit discovery, sub-sea marine geoscience, and geohazard estimation.
- Geodata Analytics Platform Big Data analytics platform using Deep Learning and machine learning approaches to extract patterns from geological and geophysical datasets.
- Get into Geoscience Programme Public engagement programme bringing geoscience education to secondary school students, teachers, and the general public, including Girls into Geoscience Ireland.
- GreenDealz Community engagement toolkit developed for public engagement with climate and environmental topics.
Quantifiable outcome
- €187M in research funding secured since 2015
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use iCRAG
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
iCRAG technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability8 records
Feature5 records
iCRAG partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Geological Survey IrelandcoreState agency partner supporting applied geoscience research and national geological programmes including the Tellus ground and airborne data acquisition programme.
- Industry Partners (20+)coreMining, energy, and environmental companies engaged in collaborative research, providing industry cost-share contributions and real-world research challenges.
- University College DublincoreHost institution for iCRAG headquarters. Provides infrastructure, research support, and administrative services for the Centre.
- Trinity College DublincorePartner institution hosting the National Centre for Isotope Geochemistry (NCIG) and contributing researchers across multiple research challenges.
- Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS)corePartner institution contributing geophysics research expertise and hosting researchers in seismology and volcanic processes.
- University College CorkcorePartner institution contributing expertise in paleontology, environmental science, and marine geology.
- National University of Ireland GalwaycorePartner institution contributing oceanography, climate research, and hydrogeology expertise.
- Maynooth UniversitycorePartner institution contributing climate research and ocean observation expertise through ICARUS research unit.
- Dublin City UniversitycorePartner institution contributing biogeochemistry, astrobiology, and science communication research expertise.
- TeagasccoreAgriculture and Food Development Authority contributing research on soils, land-use, and environmental sustainability in agriculture.
- National Centre for Isotope Geochemistry (NCIG)coreWorld-class analytical facility co-located at UCD and TCD facilitating interdisciplinary research with industrial partners and government agencies.
- DecahydronminorInnovative Irish SME collaborating on Next Generation Tools project for hydrogen production and carbon storage in ophiolites.
- Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics (CBBG)minorNSF-funded US research center collaborating on bio-based mineral precipitation research through US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership programme.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
iCRAG competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- BRGM (Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières): France's national geological survey providing applied geoscience research, mineral resource assessment, groundwater, and geohazard expertise. Comparable as a multi-thematic national geoscience institution serving both public-policy and industry research needs.
- USGS (U.S. Geological Survey): U.S. national geological and earth-science agency covering mineral resources, water resources, hazards, and environmental geoscience. Comparable in scope and customer base to iCRAG, but at substantially greater scale and budget.
- Geoscience Australia: Australia's national geoscience agency providing mineral exploration, groundwater, hazard, and marine geoscience research. Directly comparable as a publicly funded national geoscience institution with strong mineral-resource and geohazard remits.
- CSIRO Mineral Resources: Australia's national science agency mineral-resources division covering mineral exploration, processing, and downstream innovation. Overlaps iCRAG's Earth Resources challenge and industry-collaboration model.
- British Geological Survey: UK national geological survey delivering geoscience research, 3D modelling, and applied services for government and industry. Operates a similar model to iCRAG as a publicly funded national geoscience institution with research, data, and applied programme streams.
- GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences: Germany's national geoscience research centre covering Earth system science, geophysics, geochemistry, and geohazards. Directly comparable as a large-scale applied geoscience research centre with similar thematic pillars; Prof. Gleeson was previously at GFZ, making the linkage explicit.
- Geological Survey of Canada / NRCan: Canada's national geological survey delivering bedrock mapping, mineral exploration research, and geoscience data services. Highly comparable to iCRAG in mission (national subsurface knowledge generation) and customer base (government + mining industry).
Emerging players
- Fugro: Dutch geo-data specialist providing offshore site characterisation, geotechnical, and seabed-survey services for offshore wind and infrastructure. Comparable to iCRAG on offshore-wind de-risking, marine geoscience, and geotechnical site characterization, though Fugro is a commercial operator versus iCRAG's research model.
- CGG (Compagnie Générale de Géophysique): France-based geophysical services and Earth-data company offering seismic imaging and subsurface characterisation. Comparable on the geophysics/sensing platform side; CGG is a more commercial peer operating in the same subsurface-imaging domain iCRAG's Geophysics Research Platform serves.
Regional players
- NGU (Geological Survey of Norway): Norway's national geological survey with strong mineral-resource, marine-geology, and geohazard research. Regional peer to iCRAG serving similar European markets with comparable applied-geoscience remit and Nordic energy-transition priorities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
iCRAG social profiles
Digital presenceiCRAG financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
iCRAG leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
iCRAG funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
iCRAG M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about iCRAG
What does iCRAG do?
iCRAG is the Research Ireland Centre for Applied Geosciences, a multi-institutional research center hosted at University College Dublin that delivers applied geoscience research across four challenge areas: Earth System Change, Earth Resources, Earth Science in Society, and Platform Technologies. The center operates research platforms including the 3D Ireland geological model, the National Centre for Isotope Geochemistry (NCIG), a Geophysics Research Platform, and a Geodata Analytics Platform, providing research outputs, analytical services, and collaborative research to industry, government, and academic partners.
Is iCRAG a public or private company?
iCRAG is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was iCRAG founded?
iCRAG was founded in 2015. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is iCRAG based?
iCRAG is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does iCRAG make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Research Ireland (formerly SFI) Core Funding is the primary driver. The others are geological Survey Ireland Support and industry Partner Contributions.
Who are iCRAG's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are BRGM (Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières), USGS (U.S. Geological Survey), Geoscience Australia, CSIRO Mineral Resources, British Geological Survey, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences and Geological Survey of Canada / NRCan. Emerging players are Fugro and CGG (Compagnie Générale de Géophysique). NGU (Geological Survey of Norway) is listed as a regional player.
Does iCRAG have an API?
No public API is recorded for iCRAG.
What industry is iCRAG in?
iCRAG's product category is Applied Geosciences Research. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAKAKAA, Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling), with a secondary code of BPAHAIAM, Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting. Its NAICS code is 5417 and its SIC code is 8731.