The Research Institute of Mining Geomechanics & Mine Surveying (VNIMI) was established in 1929. It is located in St.-Petersburg. VNIMI is currently the leading specialized research center in Russia in solving the problems of mining sciences in the field of mining geology, hydrogeology, geophysics, geodynamics, geomechanics and mine surveying. VNIMI's activities is aimed at the solutions of research and technological tasks in the exploration of coal deposits, oil and gas fields and other mineral deposits, as well as at solving the problems in land utilization, town building and environmental control.

The formal name of the Institute is the Federal State Unitary Institution "The State Research Institute of Mining Geomechanics and Mine Surveying (VNIMI) - Interindustry Research Center".

VNIMI has the Doctorate and Graduate School and also the Academic Council which is conferred the powers on awarding the academic degrees of Cand.Sc.(PhD) and Doctors of Sciences (DSc.) in the specialities "Mining geology and Oil geology, Field Geometry, Geophysics and Mine Surveying", "Geomechanics, Rock failure, Mine Aerogas-dynamics and Mining Thermal Physics", "Geotechnology in underground mines, Open-pit Mines and in Mine Construction".

VNIMI of today is a modern research center with 108 PhD and 23 Doctors. Thirteen researchers are the State-prize and Russian Government prize winners including also the 1999 and 2000 years' time.

VNIMI is a collective member of the International Society for Mine Surveying (ISM), International Bureau on Rock Mechanics (IBRM), International Society of Strata Mechanics (ISSM), International Society on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Construction (ISSMFC), International Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS). A number of leading researchers of VNIMI are the academicians and corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, Academy of Mining Sciences of Russia, International Academy of Ecology & Life Protection Sciences, International Eurasian Academy of Sciences.

VNIMI takes an active part in the activities of the Working Parties on Coal and Gas of the Committee on Sustainable Energy of the UN Economics Commission for Europe.