Główny Instytut Górnictwa (Central Mining Institute), located in Katowice, a capital of Silesia Region, is a governmental, research-development unit with fifty years' experience in mining, environmental engineering, civil engineering and related fields. The Institute's mission is the creation of modern, energy saving and clean technologies, technical solutions and undertaking serving for the formation of favourable relations: PEOPLE - INDUSTRY - ENVIRONMENT. GIG undertakes complex and interdisciplinary tasks in almost all branches of industry. The Institute's commercial activity comprises the research projects, sale of know-how, expertise, consulting and training.

The scope of activities in the area of environmental engineering comprises: sustainable development of regions, industrial and municipal waste management, water protection and water-sewage management, energy saving and air protection, ecological and energy audits, environmental impact assessment, environmental monitoring, reclamation of industrial degradated areas, cleaner production technologies, environmental management according to ISO 14001 Standard. The GIG's services comprise all phases of the research-implementation activity, from research through the project to the feasibility analysis and supervision regarding the implementation of results. It has been done in the form of: research project, licenses and know-how, expertises training.

GIG has academic authorisations in scope of conducting of doctoral and doctoral hab. studies in mining and doctoral studies in environmental engineering. The Institute is a Collective Expert of the Minister of Environmental Protection, Natural Resources and Forestry in the field of environmental protection. As the first Institute in Poland, GIG possesses the implemented Integrated System of Quality (ISO 9001 standard), Environmental (ISO 14001 standard) and Occupational Health and Safety (PN-N 18001), confirmed by a certificate of PCBC.

GIG creates platforms for innovation networking and partnership with research units of the Silesian Region. GIG is coordinator of Integrated Science-Technology Institute (ZINT) with 11 institutes and Centre of Advance Technologies (CZT) "Energy-Environment-Health" with 17 research, business and industry units.

GIG maintains broad contacts with foreign enterprises and institutions in the framework of scientific and technical cooperation, common research projects, as well as export of services and devices. GIG is the member of international organizations such as ENERO, ERRICCA, ESRA and NICOLE. GIG is also the Polish coordinator of the regional Network dedicated to the Baltic Sea Region - Virtual Institute Baltic 21 for Sustainable Industry.

Research staff:
559 persons, including 110 person holding the scientific titles of a Professor, Doctor Hab. or Doctor.