At the end of the 1990s, BRGM continued to strengthen its potential in its fields of competence, in particular concerning all natural or anthropogenic phenomena affecting the ground and subsurface as well as geological objects with economic potential. To this end, it worked with public or private partners with complementary skills in France, Europe and other continents, a practice that it intends to further intensify, particularly through projects under the European Framework Programme for Research and Development (FP).

In particular, it is a member or coordinator of many European programmes or networks of excellence, for example on CO2 storage, risks and pollution. This approach enabled it to obtain the Carnot label in 2006, awarded to French research units that collaborate effectively with socio-economic stakeholders. It is a label of excellence created in 2006 by the French National Research Agency (ANR).

The aim is to promote the transfer of research and technology results to socio-economic actors, partnership between public laboratories and companies and the development of innovation. The Carnot label recognises and supports public laboratories that are committed to placing partnership research at the heart of their research strategy and to taking better account of the needs of the socio-economic world.

The "Carnot Value Chain" actions, support for companies

In 2016, BRGM's approval was renewed following the "Carnot 3" call for projects.

In that year, the Carnot institutes were structured to support companies - VSEs, SMEs and ETIs - in economic sectors in their research, development and innovation (RDI) efforts. Among the eight "Carnot Value Chain" actions set up, BRGM is a stakeholder in the Extractive industries and primary processing (Extra&Co) and Eco-energies (EnergICs) actions.