AN unique new academic and industrial partnership will use Scottish expertise to solve the global challenges of the oil and gas industry over the coming decades.
£10.6 million worth of funding was announced by the First Minister, Alex Salmond, to create a new Oil and Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC), to be based in Aberdeen.
Bringing together academic and private sector partners to create and fast track new, innovative solutions for the oil and gas industry, the centre will focus beyond day to day issues to address the longer-term challenges faced by the industry.
OGIC will link over 2300 oil and gas operators and service companies to 12 Scottish universities with over 450 academic staff and researchers working primarily on oil and gas-specific technologies.
Funded by the Scottish Funding Council and supported by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands & Islands Enterprise, OGIC will support the industry agenda to increase production and to reduce costs by enabling the delivery of innovative technical solutions.
The initial £10.6 million funding is set to leverage over £26 million of investments from various sources, including industry contributions and through other external funding agencies, within its first five years.
Welcoming today’s funding announcement, Paul de Leeuw, chair of OGIC said: “We are very pleased to have secured the funding for the new Oil and Gas Innovation Centre.
“The Innovation Centre offers an unique opportunity to stimulate collaboration between the oil and gas industry and the universities in Scotland and this will be a key part of sustaining the oil and gas industry in the North Sea for decades to come.”
Speaking on behalf of OGIC’s academic partners, Professor Dorrik Stow, head of the Institute of Petroleum Engineering at Heriot-Watt University, said: “The Oil and Gas Innovation Centre will make it easier for Scotland’s academics to innovate and collaborate with supply chain companies. OGIC will focus Scotland’s academic power onto developing applied, innovative solutions to the oil and gas industry’s key challenges.
“Heriot-Watt, along with its partners in the Energy Technology Partnership, is proud to be a key part in driving OGIC’s progress.”
Notes to editors:
About OGIC The Oil and Gas Innovation Centre will link over 2,300 oil and gas operators and service companies to 12 Scottish universities with over 450 academic staff and researchers.
It is creating an environment where industry and academia can work together collaboratively, to create innovative solutions to solve industry problems and create economic benefit for companies and for the UK.
Academic partners include Heriot-Watt University, University of Aberdeen, University of Strathclyde, University of Abertay, University of Dundee, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of the Highlands and Islands, Robert Gordon University, University of St Andrews, Glasgow Caledonian University and University of the West of Scotland.
About Oil and Gas Innovation Challenge The challenge of improving innovation and accelerating the application of new and existing technology in the UK oil and gas industry has been well recognised and is a critical part of the joint government and industry agenda, through the Oil and Gas Industry Leadership Group and PILOT. The prize associated with additional recovery from the North Sea resulting from technology innovation/application is estimated to be two+ billion barrels of oil equivalent and £100+ billion in potential revenues.
About Oil and Gas ILG strategy Scotland’s Industry Leadership Group published its Oil & Gas Strategy 2012-2020 in May 2012, setting out a vision of maximising recovery through industry-led innovation.
Contact information:
Paul de Leeuw, chair of OGIC, 07881 517792 and Professor Dorrick Stow, head of the Institute of Petroleum Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, 07887 870 309.
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