On 6-10 May 2025, representatives of the Dominican Republic visited Poland as part of the development of geological cooperation. The visit included participation in a conference in Kraków, expert meetings and study visits to key research and mining centres.

On 6 May 2025, the High Level Conference on EU Raw Materials Policy was held at the main building of the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków. Among the panellists discussing cooperation between the European Union and countries outside the Community in the field of raw materials was Miguel Peña – Presidential Advisor on Mining of the Dominican Republic. He presented the Dominican Republic's potential for raw materials cooperation with the EU. Together with him, Edwin Garcia Cocco, Director of the National Geological Survey of the Dominican Republic, arrived in Kraków as a member of the official delegation.

Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs and Scientific Support of the National Geological Survey Stanislaw Mikulski, PhD, and Director of the National Geological Survey of the Dominican Republic Edwin Garcia Cocco

The Polish Geological Institute – NRI has been officially cooperating with the National Geological Survey of the Dominican Republic since November 2022 on the basis of a Mineral Cooperation Agreement.

Following the conference and a study visit to the ZGH Bolesław plant, the delegation visited the PGI-NRI headquarters. The guests were acquainted with selected aspects of the Institute's work, current projects and locations relevant to future joint research. They were accompanied by geologists from the Department of Regional and Composite Geology – Jarosław Zacharski and from the Department of International Cooperation – Radomir Pachytel.

On 8 May 2025, a tripartite meeting was held at the headquarters of the Institute of Non-ferrous Metals of the Łukasiewicz Research Network in Gliwice, during which – thanks to the courtesy of Director Barbara Juszczyk and her team – the delegates from the Dominican Republic were introduced to the Institute's research activities and laboratory infrastructure. They were also presented with the preliminary results of the analyses of nickel-bearing laterite rocks brought back from the Dominican Republic in 2024 by Prof. Stanisław Mikulski.

Cooperation between PGI-NRI and the National Geological Survey of the Dominican Republic covers several key research areas, including planned joint fieldwork and analysis on critical raw materials, whose occurrence and economic potential in the Dominican Republic are of growing interest.

Delegation during a visit at the Institute of Non-ferrous Metals of the Łukasiewicz Research Network in Gliwice

The next stage of the Dominican Republic delegation's visit was a meeting at the Bełchatów Coal Mine, one of the largest opencast mines in Europe. Damian Kałużny, Technical Director and Deputy Branch Director, and Zbigniew Stobiecki, Head of the Geological Department, presented the specifics of mining operations at the Szczerców field and activities related to environmental protection in the mine and its vicinity.

Visit to the Belchatow Coal Mine (From left: Miguel Pena, Edwin Garcia, Damian Kalużny, Jarosław Zacharski, Radomir Pachytel, Zbigniew Stobiecki)

In turn, in Leszcze near Kłodawa, the delegation got acquainted with the activities of the PGI-NRI Central Geological Archives. In the newly-built storehouse for drilling cores, the guests learnt about procedures of acceptance, storage, documentation and analysis of samples. They were also shown the functioning of the Central Geological Database and the scope of information made available within the geo-information system. The state-of-the-art storage infrastructure impressed the guests – full operation of the facility is planned to begin soon.

Delegation at the PGI-NRI storage facility for cores in Leszcze

On the last day of the visit, the delegation visited the Marine Geology Branch of the PGI-NRI in Gdańsk, where the Institute's research activities and offerings for the Baltic Sea area were presented. The meeting was led by the director of the institution, Wojciech Jegliński, and specialists Grzegorz Uścinowicz and Dorota Kaulbarsz. The practical dimension of the research was presented during a field trip to the coastal cliffs. The delegation also visited the Gdańsk Amber Museum and learned about the city's history, which was presented by Urszula Pączek of the PGI-NRI's Marine Geology Branch.

Director of the Marine Geology Branch, Wojciech Jeglinski, presents the activities of the PGI-NRI Gdańsk Branch

Delegation in front of the PGI-NRI Marine Geology Branch in Gdańsk (from left: Jarosław Zacharski, Wojciech Jegliński, Edwin Garcia, Dorota Kaulbarsz, Grzegorz Uścinowicz, Radomir Pachytel, Miguel Pena).

The visit of the Dominican Republic delegation was an important step in the development of international cooperation in the field of geology and resource management. Expert meetings, the presentation of Polish experience and the exchange of research knowledge laid a solid foundation for joint projects in the future.

The Polish Geological Institute – NRI is looking forward to continuing cooperation, especially in the field of critical raw materials research and innovative solutions for the sustainable use of geological resources.

Text: Jarosław Zacharski, Radomir Pachytel