The federation
Intranet
Presentation
The Institute of Environmental Geosciences (IGE) is a public research laboratory in Planetary and Environmental Sciences, established on January 1, 2017 through the merger of the LGGE (Laboratoire de Glaciologie et de Géophysique de l’Environnement – Laboratory of Glaciology and Environmental Geophysics) and LTHE (Laboratoire d’étude des Transferts en Hydrologie et Environnement – Laboratory for the Study of Transfers in Hydrology and the Environment) research units. In 2023, the ETNA (Erosion Torrentielle Neige et Avalanche – Torrent Erosion, Snow and Avalanche) research unit joined IGE, forming a joint research unit under the supervision of CNRS/INSU, IRD, Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), INRAE and Grenoble-INP, within the Grenoble Observatory of Sciences of the Universe (OSUG). IGE is part of the Carnot Eau & Environnement institute.
The French Polar Institute IPEV and CNES are privileged partners supporting research conducted at IGE.
Within the Grenoble Observatory of Sciences of the Universe (OSUG), IGE coordinates or contributes to several national observation services and is involved in resources certified by INSU.
IGE is pursuing a strategy to strengthen North-South partnerships in research, training and knowledge transfer through IRD initiatives such as International Joint Laboratories, IRNs and JEAIs.
IGE staff teach, train and share our knowledge with the widest possible audience, whether through university courses or through outreach, communication and knowledge dissemination activities.
IGE is deeply involved in research and expert activities at the interface between science and public policy, through a wide range of projects and initiatives carried out in partnership with public-sector stakeholders (for example, the DGPR within the ministry responsible for the environment, etc.). IGE research is strongly focused on societal challenges, for example through its major involvement in the GREC Alpes.
Finally, in addition to its scientific activities, IGE aims to be innovative through its commitment to approaches that support changes in our practices, both from an environmental perspective and in terms of ethics and inclusivity. IGE has therefore adopted a “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” charter and an environmental manifesto, committing to reducing its carbon footprint by 50% between 2019 and 2030.
Scientific themes
IGE’s scientific activities focus primarily on climate and its multiple components (atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere, land surfaces), their composition, their interactions (biogeochemical cycles, the water cycle), associated risks (hydro-climatic, gravitational, glacial and environmental), sustainability science, physical and social processes in the critical zone, and all the experimental and numerical developments required to study them. One of IGE’s distinctive features, which partly defines its identity, is its commitment to devoting a substantial share of its research activities to regions where societal and environmental challenges are particularly acute :
• the polar regions, North and South ;
• the intertropical zone, particularly through partnerships with low-income and emerging countries ;
• mountain regions, particularly the Alps, Andes and Himalayas.
In order to push back the frontiers of knowledge in its scientific themes, IGE develops innovative technologies, deploys autonomous and/or embedded sensors, spatializes its measurements, develops new rapid and sensitive physicochemical analysis methods, etc. In addition, IGE pursues high-level digital developments : international or national community codes, products making use of satellite remote-sensing measurements, and strategies supporting space-based observation missions. More recently, IGE has been exploring research approaches at the interface with society, such as participatory research methods.
IGE ambitions for 2026-2030
In the current context of global change combined with growing distrust of science in general, the role of an institute such as IGE is to respond to society’s current needs and anticipate its future needs, in connection with climate, environmental and sustainability sciences.
Meeting the current needs of our societies means widely sharing scientific knowledge to enrich public debate, through education, outreach, the co-construction of knowledge and expertise with public- and private-sector socio-economic stakeholders, but also in collaboration with academic and non-academic partners in low-income and emerging countries, which are among those most severely affected by the impacts of climate change.
Anticipating future needs also requires the development of fundamental and applied research, disciplinary or interdisciplinary, in a dynamic, collaborative and open manner, while jointly respecting academic freedom and the limits imposed by our societal and environmental responsibilities.
For the 2026-2030 period, IGE has therefore defined 5 major laboratory ambitions, with scientific ambitions that are firmly focused on society :
1. Processes in the climate system and the environment
Long title : Observing and modelling the physical and biogeochemical processes of the components of the climate system (atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere, land surface) in order to better understand their functioning, interactions and evolution.
2. Anthropogenic impacts on environments, and health and environmental impacts
Long title : Characterizing the effects of human activities on the climate system and environmental quality in order to assess their health and environmental impacts, and contribute to the design of mitigation and remediation solutions.
3. Climate and environmental risks in the era of global change
Long title : Advancing the understanding and quantification of physical and social processes in order to assess and prevent hydro-climatic, glacial and gravitational risks in the era of global change.
4. Science-society dialogue and sustainability science
Long title : Sharing systemic knowledge through education, science-society intermediation, support for public policies and the co-construction of climate services in order to drive sustainable socio-environmental transitions.
5. Innovating for digital and experimental transitions in environmental sciences
Long title : Innovating in instrumentation, data science and algorithms, modelling, artificial intelligence and open science to support digital and experimental transitions and promote sustainability in research and higher education in environmental sciences.
To address these major ambitions, IGE is organized into 11 research teams, 3 services, 3 research support platforms.
