The mission of the Institute of Environmental Engineering (IIS-UZG) is to provide modern and applicable solutions in efficient management of environmental resources. Its main scientific activity focuses on key issues related to three environmental components: water, soil and air. IIS-UZG is studying, analysing and modelling processes that occur during water and wastewater treatment; sewage sludge management; exploitation of soils in urban, industrial and post-mining areas. Its speciality is the optimization of the methane fermentation in biological treatment of wastes as a contribution to mitigation of the effects of greenhouse gas emissions.
The Institute of Sociology deals with contemporary society research and education in the field of sociology. It conducts ongoing and one-time empirical surveys, public opinion surveys, and case studies, comparative research studies, using modern methods of qualitative and quantitative research, while developing sociological theory and methodology. Research at the Institute also use information, concepts and methods taken from related scientific fields such as economics, ethnography, anthropology, political sciences, demography, social policy, gender research and environmental sciences.