Norwegian geotechnical research institute combining soil mechanics, natural hazard assessment, and environmental pollution science for infrastructure and climate resilience.
NGI is Norway's premier geotechnical research institute, specializing in soil mechanics, ground stability, and natural hazard assessment. They provide geotechnical engineering expertise for infrastructure protection — from railway safety and submarine landslide analysis to nature-based solutions for mountain hazard reduction. Increasingly, they also tackle environmental contamination challenges, particularly persistent pollutants (PFAS) in soils and water, combining their deep earth-science knowledge with environmental chemistry and risk assessment.
Core expertise across GeoRes (geomaterials), GEOLAB (soil mechanics for critical infrastructure), SLATE (submarine landslides), Phusicos (mountain landscapes), and SAFEWAY (infrastructure resilience).
Coordinated Phusicos on nature-based hazard solutions, contributed to REACHOUT (climate adaptation toolbox), SAFEWAY (extreme event response), and ChEESE (geohazards at exascale).
Participated in DESTinationRAIL (rail decision support), GoSAFE RAIL (rail safety management), and RUMBLE (sonic boom regulation) — all focused on transport infrastructure performance.
Coordinated ZeroPM on zero pollution of persistent mobile substances, contributed to PERFORCE3 (PFAS training network) and INTERWASTE (toxic organic pollutants).
Participated in ChEESE (exascale computing for solid earth) and eFlows4HPC (dynamic HPC workflows), applying computational methods to geoscience problems.
Contributed geotechnical soil expertise to LEX4BIO, optimizing bio-based fertiliser policies — a crossover from their core soil science into agriculture.
In the early H2020 period (2015–2019), NGI focused on classical geotechnical problems — rail infrastructure safety, submarine landslides, soil stabilisation, and environmental fate of flame retardants and pharmaceuticals. From 2019 onward, their work shifted decisively toward climate resilience, persistent chemical pollution (especially PFAS), and computational geoscience, with projects like ZeroPM, REACHOUT, and eFlows4HPC. This evolution shows NGI broadening from a traditional geotechnical institute into a climate-and-environment risk organization that applies soil science to society-scale challenges.
NGI is moving toward integrated environmental risk — combining geotechnical expertise with pollution science and climate adaptation, making them increasingly relevant for green transition and critical infrastructure resilience projects.
NGI operates predominantly as an active partner (14 of 16 projects), contributing deep specialist knowledge to large consortia rather than leading them. However, when they do coordinate — Phusicos and ZeroPM, both among their largest-funded projects — they take on ambitious, multi-partner environmental challenges. With 210 unique partners across 39 countries, they are a well-connected hub that brings geotechnical credibility to diverse European consortia without demanding the lead role.
NGI has collaborated with 210 unique partners across 39 countries, indicating a truly pan-European and partially global network. Their partnerships span transport, environment, HPC, and chemistry communities — an unusually diverse reach for a geotechnical institute.
NGI occupies a rare niche at the intersection of geotechnical engineering and environmental science — few institutes combine deep expertise in soil mechanics with knowledge of chemical contamination and climate adaptation. Their Norwegian base gives them credibility in Arctic and cold-climate infrastructure challenges, while their broad EU network (39 countries) makes them an accessible partner despite being based outside the EU. For consortium builders, NGI brings both lab-level soil science and field-scale hazard assessment, bridging the gap between fundamental research and infrastructure decision-making.
