Our mission

SGI’s role is to support other national authorities, county administrative boards, and municipalities across Sweden in preventing landslides and erosion, as well as their consequences. We assist rescue services and other actors during such incidents. SGI also supports the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency in its preventative work on natural disasters and landslide risk mapping.

Through applied research and development, we generate new knowledge and methods to assess land suitability for construction. Our research contributes to the advancement of improved foundation methods and soil improvement techniques for infrastructure and buildings.

We provide geodata related to landslides, erosion, and flooding through tailored map services.

A significant part of our climate adaptation work targets national risk areas for landslides, erosion, and flooding. We develop knowledge and methods that can be implemented as concrete and sustainable measures in urban planning and construction. We follow a methodology based on regional collaboration in designated risk zones.

We map landslide risks along vulnerable waterways. These maps are widely used by various actors and are implemented by municipalities in physical planning processes.

SGI is also tasked with coordinating, prioritising, and supporting initiatives to reduce landslide risks along the Göta River. We monitor stability conditions and distribute government grants to affected municipalities for tangible landslide prevention measures. The Göta River Commission at SGI supports this work.

SGI holds national coordination responsibility for coastal erosion issues and plays an active role in regional collaboration to enhance climate adaptation efforts across administrative boundaries.

We work to advance knowledge and methods for implementing nature-based solutions to prevent erosion and landslides. This includes testing, monitoring, and evaluating various measures. SGI also develops guidance and documentation related to nature-based solutions within geotechnics.

In collaboration with construction sector stakeholders, we develop generic climate data for different foundation methods to facilitate assessments of their climate impact.

Within the national programme for the remediation and restoration of contaminated sites, SGI is responsible for applied research, technological development, and knowledge building. Results and methods are communicated through guidance documents, training programmes, and expert support.

In recent years, contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and polluted sediments has gained increasing attention. Extensive research and investigative work is underway in these areas to meet the urgent need for knowledge on pollution dispersal and effective remediation techniques.

SGI funds technological development and research in the area of contaminated land through the TUFFO research programme (Technology Development and Research in Contaminated Areas). The programme aims to identify and demonstrate innovative solutions for more efficient remediation, helping to accelerate clean-up efforts across Sweden.