These institutions advise and inform federal ministries, government bodies, the EU, academic research, industry and the Lower Saxony state government on all earth science matters. The close organisational and logistic collaboration between these three institutions is represented by the joint title GEOZENTRUM HANNOVER – a modern service facility standing for scientific independence, quality and reliability on all earth science issues.

The responsibilities of the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources cover raw materials and geo-resources (fuels, mineral resources, groundwater, soil), geosafety (geotechnical safety / final disposal, georisks, seismological monitoring / nuclear weapons test ban treaties, climate change) and geological sciences common functions (basic geological information, collaborations on earth science matters, specialist technical infrastructure).

The State Agency for Mining, Energy and Geology fulfils three key responsibilities: administrative procedures and inspection of mines; advice and procedural participation (for the raw materials industries, construction, energy supply, agriculture, water, waste management, soil protection and contamination); and maintaining the information base.

The Institute for Applied Geosciences is an independent research facility for applied earth sciences, jointly funded by the Federal and State Governments, and a member of the Leibniz Scientific Association. The main focus of its work is on exploration of the usable subsurfaces and the development of measuring and evaluation procedures to this end. The Institute works all over the country.