Explore how AI is transforming mineral resources management



In the context of the energy transition and industrial sovereignty, France is strengthening its strategy to secure supplies of critical mineral resources. To address this, BRGM is leading an ambitious national program aimed at updating knowledge of the geological potential for strategic metals. With a budget of €63,3 million over five years, this program plans a large-scale inventory of the subsurface across parts of metropolitan and overseas territories, targeting around fifty critical elements.

Within this framework, BRGM is launhcing an innovation program to engage artificial intelligence actors, including those not specialized in geosciences, to experiment with innovative data analysis approaches applied to mineral exploration.

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You can find all useful links and resources in the More ressources section.

What is AI4Minerals?

The program relies on several thousand geochemical samples, from which the goal is to produce multivariate anomaly maps to effectively guide exploration efforts. The expected results must combine technical rigor, geoscientific relevance, and quality interpretation.

This project takes place within a demanding methodological framework, marked by significant uncertainty: few direct drilling data, a majority of indirect data, and only partial knowledge of the targeted elements.

Main objectives

  • Generate an anomaly map for each of the 49 chemical elements present in the provided dataset.
  • Use statistical, spatial, or machine learning approaches to identify potential areas of interest from heterogeneous and noisy data.

 

Bonus (optional but valued)

  • Bonus 1: Propose a methodology for integrating geophysical data to enrich, explain, or confirm the detected anomalies.
  • Bonus 2: Provide a metallogenic or anthropogenic interpretation of the anomalies (for example: distinguish a natural signal of interest from pollution of agricultural origin).

 

One of the goals of the call is to identify 2 to 3 partners with whom BRGM could structure long-term R&D collaborations beyond this experimental phase.

Contacts
Shahinez
Lamsouni
Open Innovation Program manager
Contact
Claire
Dehuysser
Open innovation Project Manager
Contact

What the program offers you?

Funding

At the end of this application phase, a jury may select up to three organizations among the finalists. These winners will be invited to engage in discussions with BRGM to structure a research and development partnership. A budget will be allocated for this initial collaboration phase.

Partnership Agreement and Commercial Prospects

This partnership may lead to an additional phase aimed at extending the approaches to other territories and further developing the solutions created. This follow-up phase will be subject to a specific amendment, the terms of which will be defined with the selected partners.

Timeline of the innovation program

  • July 8, 2025, at 11:30 AM: webinar presenting the innovation program with BRGM in attendance and opening of the innovation program and application plateforme
  • September 1, 2025, at 12:00 PM: innovation program deadline
  • Week of September 22, 2025*: preselection committee and announcement of candidates preselected based on their applications
  • Week of September 29: pitch training session for preselected candidates
  • Week of October 13*: selection jury followed by announcement of shortlisted companies
  • From October 20: start of the collaboration phase*exact days to be announced

More Ressources

By clicking on resources, you will have access to all useful documents:

  • Rules
  • Formalization
  • Webinar slides
  • The explanatory note (analysis of geological data from the Ambazac site)
  • Notebook jupyter
  • Datasets

 

Application form Join or create a consortium Setting up a consortium Replay webinar FAQ Resources