Geoscience Ireland is a consortium of companies arising from an interaction between State bodies (Geological Survey of Ireland and Enterprise Ireland), private consultancy companies and University research departments. Geoscience Ireland has its roots in the Geoscience Sector review undertaken in 2008 by the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI), the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI) and the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) through a series of seminars and meetings. The review recognized the economic importance of geosciences in Ireland and globally, and highlighted increased collaboration and interaction between industry, government and academia as a key component of the successful delivery of geoscience projects.
The companies and organizations involved in Geoscience Ireland have overlapping expertise so they can come together to win significant international projects. Working abroad is nothing new to the companies involved, given that they have a network of international offices in UK, Africa, North America and elsewhere. Staff in the consortium companies have worked extensively internationally in private sector mineral exploration, public infrastructural developments, and with multilateral development agencies on institutional strengthening and capacity building.
