Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris

Name

Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris

Legal name

Institut de physique du globe de Paris (IPGP)

Website

https://ipgp.fr

Company type

Public

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Earth and Planetary Sciences Research

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Space Research and Technology (92711)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Exploration Services (1382)

akta.pro primary industry

Seismic & Geoscience Services (Acquisition, Processing, Interpretation) (EUALABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling) (IMAKAKAA), Remote Sensing & Geospatial MRV (Satellite, Aerial, LiDAR, SAR) (EUABACAF), Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM)

Keywords

• Earth sciences research
• Volcanological monitoring services
• Seismological observatory network
• Planetary geophysics instrumentation
• Geochemistry and cosmochemistry

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: Core funding from French government through Université Paris Cité and CNRS. Competitive research grants from European Research Council (ERC), ANR (French National Research Agency), and other national/international funding bodies.
2. Industrial Partnerships: Contract research and collaborative projects with industrial partners covering geophysics, geochemistry, environmental sciences, and materials science. Partners include CAC 40 companies and innovative SMEs.
3. Space Agency Contracts: Contracts and collaborative agreements with space agencies including ESA, NASA, CNES for planetary science missions and instrument development.
4. Educational Programs: Revenue from higher education programs including bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional training programs under Université Paris Cité.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IPGP is a public research institute that conducts fundamental and applied research in Earth, planetary, and environmental sciences, including seismology, volcanology, geophysics, geochemistry, and planetary science. It operates national volcanological and seismological observatories (OVSM, OVSG, OVPF), the GEOSCOPE global seismic network, magnetic observatories, and develops proprietary space instruments such as the SEIS seismometer used on NASA's InSight Mars mission and the NanoMagSat magnetometer constellation. It also delivers geosciences higher-education programs through Université Paris Cité.

Product overview

Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) is a French research institute specializing in Earth, planetary, and environmental sciences. IPGP operates a comprehensive suite of research platforms (PARI, DANTE, Marine Rock Repository), volcanological and seismological observatories across French overseas territories (Martinique, Guadeloupe, La Réunion), global seismic networks (GEOSCOPE), and specialized observation services including the Mars InSight mission observatory. The institute offers research services including data processing (S-CAPAD), drone-based observation (Pôle Drones), and shared virtualization (SMV), all supporting its core mission of understanding planetary and terrestrial systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PARI Research Platform
• DANTE Research Platform
• Marine Rock Repository (Lithothèque marine)
• OVSM-IPGP Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Martinique
• OVSG-IPGP Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Guadeloupe
• OVPF-IPGP Volcanological Observatory of Piton de la Fournaise
• GEOSCOPE Observatory
• InSight Observatory
• OBSERA Observatory (Water and Erosion in the Antilles)
• Magnetic Observatories (BCMT)
• S-CAPAD Shared Service for Astronomical Data Processing
• Drones Unit (Pôle Drones)
• Shared Virtualisation Service (SMV)
• IPGP Data Centre

Quantifiable outcome

• 404 publications in 2022 including 37 in high-impact journals (Nature, Science, PNAS)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered key, core and minor.

• TerrensiskeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2025Strategic partnership for natural hydrogen research, formalizing collaboration between IPGP and the innovative company for studies in geological hydrogen exploration and characterization.
• INGV (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 September 2024Italian national institute for geophysics and volcanology signed memorandum of understanding with IPGP to foster scientific and technical collaboration in seismology and volcanology.
• Université Paris CitécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPGP is a constituent institution of Université Paris Cité, one of France's leading research universities. This integration provides IPGP access to academic programs, student recruitment, research infrastructure, and institutional support within the French higher education system.
• CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPGP operates as a CNRS joint research unit (UMR 7154), receiving institutional support and funding through France's national research center while contributing to national and international research programs.
• Circle U. AlliancekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean university alliance bringing together Oslo, Aarhus, Pisa, Vienna, Belgrade, Humboldt University Berlin, King's College London, Catholic University of Louvain, and Université Paris Cité. Labeled as European University, supported by European Commission and PIA. IPGP participates in academic chairs program and knowledge hubs.
• ESA (European Space Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPGP serves as scientific lead for ESA missions including NanoMagSat (constellation of 3 cubesats for magnetic field monitoring, launch 2027), Hera mission for planetary defense, and lunar exploration seismometer development.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPGP provided the SEIS seismometer for NASA's InSight Mars mission, which recorded over 1,300 Martian earthquakes. Currently collaborating on Farside Seismic Suite for lunar exploration, adapting InSight technology.
• CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench space agency partner providing support for planetary science missions, including VBB seismometer development for InSight and lunar missions.
• Corning IncorporatedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for PhD funding on interactions of multivalent elements in borosilicate and aluminosilicate glasses, using in situ characterization methods developed for volcanic lava studies.
• ShellminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial research partnerships covering geophysics, geochemistry, and environmental sciences through contract research collaborations.
• TotalEnergiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial partnerships for energy-related geoscience research including geophysics and reservoir characterization.
• CEA-LETIkeyTechnology or IntegrationCollaborative development of miniaturized magnetometers (Swarm ASM instruments) for NanoMagSat cubesat constellation, with CEA-LETI providing instrument development expertise.
• The GuildkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean network of intensive research universities that IPGP engages with through Université Paris Cité membership for international research cooperation.
• GEOSCOPEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal seismic monitoring network coordinated by IPGP, participating in worldwide systems for monitoring seismic activity through formal agreements with partner institutions.
• InterMagnetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational magnetic observatory network for global magnetic field monitoring, with IPGP contributing data from its magnetic observatories.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• USGS (U.S. Geological Survey): U.S. federal geoscience agency with broader Earth-science mandate (water, biology, hazards) including volcano and earthquake monitoring programs analogous to IPGP's observatory network.
• British Geological Survey: UK public geoscience institute covering earthquakes, geomagnetism, and geological hazards; shares public-research, observatory-based operating model with IPGP.
• ETH Zurich Department of Earth Sciences: Leading European university department combining Earth sciences, climate, and planetary research; comparable research scope and global ranking position.
• Caltech Seismological Laboratory: Caltech's seismology lab operates the Southern California Seismic Network and contributes to NASA planetary seismology — comparable to IPGP in planetary seismometer (SEIS) leadership.

Direct peers

• Institut de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg: Sister French Earth-sciences institute with shared CNRS heritage, focused on seismology and geodesy. Jérôme Vergne, now OVSM-IPGP Director, was previously Deputy Director at Strasbourg.
• INGV (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia): Italian national institute for geophysics and volcanology; the closest direct counterpart to IPGP in mandate and footprint. Operates volcano observatories (Etna, Vesuvius), seismic networks, and partnered with IPGP via MOU in September 2024.
• GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences: German national geosciences research center with overlapping capabilities in seismology, geomagnetism, and geophysical instrumentation. Comparable scale (~500+ staff) and public-research structure.

Others

• European Geosciences Union (EGU): Non-profit scientific union that awards several prizes IPGP scientists have won (Stephan Mueller Medal, Arthur Holmes Medal); adjacent enabling organization in the European geoscience ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA JPL): Built and operated the InSight lander that carried IPGP's SEIS seismometer to Mars; overlaps with IPGP on planetary instrument development and mission operations.

Regional players

• National Observatory of Athens (NOA): Greek national observatory operating the Hellenic Unified Seismic Network and geodynamic institute — closest Mediterranean peer to IPGP's European observatory network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/institut-de-physique-du-globe-de-paris

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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