HRVATSKO GEOLOSKO DRUSTVO

Their core work

The Croatian Geological Society is a professional association that provides geological expertise to European research consortia, particularly in subsurface resource characterization, mineral exploration, and geothermal energy. They contribute domain knowledge on raw materials, hydrogeology, and geothermal fluid properties, acting as a linked third party that channels Croatian geological community expertise into EU projects. Their work spans from non-invasive exploration methods to understanding extreme subsurface conditions for energy extraction.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2015–2018), the society focused on hydrogeology knowledge mapping, international raw materials cooperation, and non-invasive mineral exploration — essentially cataloguing and improving how Europe finds subsurface resources. From 2019 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward geothermal energy, including community-based development, extreme-condition fluid properties, and robotic mining for minerals. The trajectory shows a clear move from exploration and knowledge-building toward applied energy extraction and advanced resource recovery.

Moving toward deep geothermal applications and advanced mineral extraction — expect future involvement in critical raw materials and deep energy projects.

How they like to work

They exclusively participate as a linked third party, never as coordinator or direct consortium partner — this means they are brought in by a primary partner (likely a Croatian university or institute) to provide specialized geological community expertise. Despite this indirect role, they have touched 94 unique partners across 32 countries, indicating they are embedded in large, pan-European consortia. Working with them likely means accessing the broader Croatian geological community rather than a single research team.

Through their third-party roles, they have been connected to 94 unique consortium partners spanning 32 countries — a remarkably wide network for a professional association, reflecting the large-scale nature of EU raw materials and energy consortia.

What sets them apart

As a national geological society rather than a university or research institute, they represent the collective expertise of Croatia's geology profession — useful when projects need broad community input, dissemination reach, or professional network access. Their combination of raw materials exploration and geothermal energy expertise is particularly relevant given Croatia's geological context in the Pannonian Basin. For consortium builders, they offer a gateway to Croatian geoscience professionals and can support community engagement and knowledge dissemination activities.

Highlights from their portfolio

• REFLECT
  Addresses geothermal fluid behavior at extreme conditions (high temperature, high salinity) — a technically deep project involving thermodynamic and kinetic property characterization.
• ROBOMINERS
  Forward-looking project on bio-inspired robotic miners for small and difficult mineral deposits — positions the society at the intersection of geology and robotics.
• CROWDTHERMAL
  Unusual combination of geothermal energy with alternative finance and social media engagement — bridging technical geology with community-driven energy transition.