Institute of Geological Sciences Uni Bern

What Institute of Geological Sciences Uni Bern does

The Institute of Geological Sciences (Institut für Geologie) is an academic research and teaching department within the Faculty of Science (Philosophisch-naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät) at the University of Bern, Switzerland. It conducts fundamental research on the origin and evolution of the Earth and applied research in natural hazards, natural resource and energy supply, and waste disposal, addressing major societal challenges including climate change, water and energy security, and natural disaster management. Its core technology stack consists of state-of-the-art analytical laboratories — including geochemistry, petrophysics, isotope, noble gas, hydrothermal, autoradiography, and scanning electron microscopy facilities — alongside a thin-section preparation workshop, 3D structural geology modeling (atomic to kilometer scale), numerical rock mechanics and groundwater modeling, and high-resolution 3D bathymetric mapping of Swiss lake floors.

The institute's product surface is dual: educational and research. Educationally, it offers a Bachelor's program in Earth Sciences/Geology (120/180 ECTS), a joint Bern-Fribourg Master's program with the University of Fribourg, and doctoral training through CUSO's Doctoral Program in Earth Surface Processes & Paleobiosphere and Doctoral Program in Mineral Sciences (DPMS). Research is organized across three principal groups: Tectonics and Structural Geology (Prof. Marco Herwegh), Rock-Water Interaction (co-headed with PD Dr. Christoph Wanner), and Quaternary Geology and Paleoclimatology (Prof. Flavio Anselmetti), with a fourth 'Climate Geochemistry' group forming under Prof. Hendrik Vogel.

The institute does not operate a commercial revenue model. It is funded through the Canton of Bern, competitive research grants (Swiss National Science Foundation, European Research Council, EU programs), industry third-party contracts (e.g., SBB), and central University of Bern tuition. Its 'customer' base consists of prospective students (Bachelor, Master, doctoral), peer academic collaborators, and public stakeholders reached through outreach (school visits, geological excursions, media appearances on SRF/RTS, YouTube educational content). Pricing is not commercially disclosed. Its primary geographic footprint is Switzerland, with media reach and academic collaborations extending across Europe and selectively globally (e.g., MSA-recognized faculty, meteorite expeditions in Oman and Arabia with the Natural History Museum Bern).

Name

Institute of Geological Sciences Uni Bern

Legal name

Institut für Geologie

Website

https://geo.unibe.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Institute of Geological Sciences (Institut für Geologie) is an academic research and teaching department at the University of Bern, Switzerland, conducting fundamental and applied earth sciences research and offering Bachelor's, Master's, and doctoral programs in geology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education and Earth Sciences Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Engineering Services (541330), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Polytechnic & Applied Sciences Universities (EDAHAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Earth Science & Geoscience Programs (EDAMABAI), Technical Universities with Energy, Materials & Sustainability Focus (EDAHAEAL), Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling) (IMAKAKAA), Public Research Universities with National Laboratories/Big Science Facilities (EDAHAAAJ), Scientific & Laboratory Reference (Chemistry, Biology, Physics; Methods & Protocols) (EDAGAGAG)

Keywords

• Earth sciences education
• Geological research
• Paleoclimatology studies
• Structural geology research
• Rock-water interaction studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Institute of Geological Sciences (Institut für Geologie) at the University of Bern is an academic department that conducts fundamental research on Earth's origin and evolution and applied research in natural hazards, resource/energy supply, and waste disposal. It offers Bachelor's, Master's (joint with University of Fribourg), and doctoral degree programs in Earth Sciences/Geology, combining lectures, seminars, field trips, and field work with state-of-the-art analytical equipment and laboratory facilities.

Product overview

The Institute of Geological Sciences (Institut für Geologie) at the University of Bern is an academic research institute that offers educational programs and conducts fundamental and applied research in earth sciences. The institute provides Bachelor's and Master's degree programs in Earth Sciences/Geology, a joint Master program with University of Fribourg, and doctoral programs through CUSO. Research activities are organized into three main groups: Tectonics and Structural Geology, Rock-Water Interaction, and Quaternary Geology and Paleoclimatology. These groups investigate topics including natural hazards, raw materials and energy supply, waste disposal, and climate change. The institute also operates numerous specialized laboratories and provides public outreach programs including school visits and geological excursions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor's Program in Earth Sciences / Geology Bachelor's degree program in Earth Sciences/Geology (120/180 EC) combining lectures, seminars, field trips and field work in a collegial atmosphere with individual supervision.
• Bern-Fribourg Master's in Earth Sciences Master's program in collaboration with University of Fribourg allowing specialization in many different earth science disciplines according to interests and preferences.
• Doctoral Program in Earth Sciences PhD program in Earth Sciences offered through CUSO, including the Doctoral Program in Earth Surface Processes & Paleobiosphere and Doctoral Program in Mineral Sciences (DPMS).
• Tectonics and Structural Geology Research Research group studying deformation of Earth from atomic to kilometer scale, including structural geology and rock mechanics, with applications in plate tectonics, mountain building, resource exploration, geothermal energy, and natural hazards.
• Rock-Water Interaction Research Research group investigating interactions between hot mineral waters and rocks in the Earth's crust, contributing to resource discovery, alternative energy sources, and safe storage of radioactive and chemical waste.
• Quaternary Geology and Paleoclimatology Research Research group focused on reconstructing environmental and climate changes during the Quaternary epoch, including sedimentary records from lake drilling, paleoseismology, and human-environment interactions.
• School Outreach Programs Educational programs for schools including visits to the institute, hands-on geology activities such as thin-section preparation, microscopy, and experiments on topics including plate tectonics, earthquakes, and mineral identification.
• Geological Excursions and Field Trips Field excursion offerings including virtual Kandersteg excursions, GEO-Pfad Escholzmatt, CSI-Alps, Urban Geotrails, and participation in Geopark Sardona.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% of graduates find employment directly in relevant fields after graduation

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of FribourgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Master's program in Earth Sciences. Students can specialize in many different earth science disciplines according to their interests and preferences. The collaboration provides broad career prospects for graduates.
• Swiss Universities (Swissuniversities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university organization. The institute is part of the Swiss University (Swissuniversities) network supporting higher education collaboration.
• CUSO (Conférence Universitaire de Suisse Occidentale)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCUSO coordinates and organizes joint doctoral activities for Western Swiss universities. The institute participates in CUSO's Doctoral Program in Earth Surface Processes & Paleobiosphere and Doctoral Program in Mineral Sciences (DPMS).
• Naturhistorisches Museum Bern (Natural History Museum Bern)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on meteorite expeditions. Beda Hofmann and Thomas Burri lead winter expeditions to deserts in Oman and Arabia to search for meteorites.
• Oeschger Centre for Climate Change ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose cooperation with the Oeschger Centre. Prof. Hendrik Vogel serves as Director of OCCR. The centre is a flagship of UniBE, strengthening the climate component of geological research and teaching.
• Swiss Federal Railways (SBB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry collaboration allowing school visits to construction sites such as SBB Flamatt for educational purposes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• University of Basel - Department of Environmental Sciences: University of Basel's Department of Environmental Sciences includes a geology group with overlapping research in sedimentology, geochemistry, and Quaternary sciences. It is a comparable Swiss university institute serving a similar student and research market.
• University of Fribourg - Department of Geosciences: University of Fribourg's Department of Geosciences is the explicit partner in the joint Bern-Fribourg Master in Earth Sciences, making it the closest operational peer with shared curriculum, faculty exchange, and student pipelines.
• ETH Zurich - Department of Earth Sciences: ETH Zurich's Department of Earth Sciences is the most prominent Swiss peer, offering comparable BSc/MSc/PhD programs and conducting fundamental and applied earth science research across tectonics, sedimentology, geochemistry, and climate. It competes directly for faculty, students, and research grants in Switzerland.
• University of Lausanne - Institute of Earth Sciences: UNIL's Institute of Earth Sciences focuses on sedimentary geology, geochemistry, and Alpine tectonics, operating as a direct Swiss peer institute competing for the same CUSO doctoral students and SNSF funding pools.
• University of Geneva - Department of Earth Sciences: University of Geneva's Department of Earth Sciences offers geology and environmental earth science programs with comparable research in Alpine geology, sedimentology, and climate — a direct peer in Swiss higher-education and research.
• EPFL - College of Earth and Environmental Sciences (CLSE): EPFL's College of Earth and Environmental Sciences covers geology, environmental engineering, and climate. It is a direct Swiss competitor in graduate earth-science education and applied research partnerships with industry.

Others

• Swiss Geological Society (CHGEOL): Swiss Geological Society is the national professional body that awards the CHGEOL prizes received by the institute's students. It is an ecosystem/peer-body rather than a competing institution, relevant for credentialing and community standing.
• Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR): OCCR is a cross-faculty climate research center at the University of Bern, now co-directed by the institute's Prof. Hendrik Vogel. It is an institutional partner/parent rather than a competitor, channeling interdisciplinary climate funding and visibility to the institute.

Regional players

• EAWAG (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology): EAWAG is a Swiss federal research institute focused on aquatic systems, sharing some faculty overlap with Bern's Quaternary Geology and Paleoclimatology group (Anselmetti was previously Head of EAWAG's Limnogeology Lab). Comparable in lake sediment and hydrogeology research but with a narrower water-focused mandate.

Broad incumbents

• GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences: GFZ Helmholtz Centre Potsdam is a much larger national geosciences research center with broader mandate across geophysics, geochemistry, geodesy, and natural hazards. Comparable research areas (geothermal, sediment dynamics, natural hazards) but operates at a larger, federally funded scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=SS9e72DlDNE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-of-geological-sciences
• Instagraminstagram.com/geologyunibern

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute of Geological Sciences Uni Bern