The Institute of Applied Geology (IGeA) was established by decision of the Governing Council of the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) on 14 July 2010, following a proposal by Prof. Pablo Higueras and Prof. José María Iraizoz from the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering.
The Institute is composed of five sections:
- Applied Geochemistry - Directed by Prof. Dr. Pablo L. Higueras Higueras, Full Professor at the Almadén School of Mining and Industrial Engineering (Escuela Universitaria Politécnica de Almadén). He has also served as Director of the Institute since his formal appointment in September 2010.
- Environmental Geology - Directed by Dr. Rosa M. Carrasco González, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences of Toledo.
- Mining and Hydrology - Directed by Dr. Eng. José M. Iraizoz Fernández, Professor at the Almadén School of Mining and Industrial Engineering. He is also Head of the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering at UCLM.
- Soil Science for Restoration - Co-directed by Dr. Francisco Jesús García Navarro and Dr. Caridad Pérez de los Reyes, professors at the Higher Technical School of Agricultural Engineering of Ciudad Real.
- Technology - Directed by Dr. Eng. Francisco Mata Cabrera, Associate Professor at the Almadén School of Mining and Industrial Engineering.
The Institute brings together a total of 40 researchers affiliated with several UCLM centres, including the Almadén School of Mining and Industrial Engineering, the School of Agricultural Engineering of Ciudad Real, the Faculty of Chemical Sciences of Ciudad Real, the Higher Technical School of Civil Engineering (Roads, Canals and Ports) of Ciudad Real, and the Faculty of Environmental Sciences of Toledo. These researchers belong to a wide range of university departments, giving the Institute a strong interdisciplinary character, as it integrates geologists, biologists, chemists, and engineers from various technological fields. Based on this multidisciplinary structure, the main objective of IGeA is to provide the disciplines related to Earth Sciences with a common framework in which to develop their scientific and technical research in an integrated manner.
In addition to researchers from UCLM, IGeA also includes a significant number of researchers from other universities, both Spanish and international, particularly from the Ibero-American region, with whom collaborations have already been established. These collaborations are expected to be significantly strengthened through the Institute’s own human and technical resources. One of the main missions of IGeA is therefore the international dissemination of knowledge and technologies, reinforcing research teams already established in other countries through collaboration with the Institute.
The establishment of the Institute has also received a very positive response from companies and institutions in the Earth Sciences sector. More than 25 organizations have submitted letters of support, expressing their willingness to collaborate in research initiatives proposed either by these entities themselves or by IGeA.