Four research pacts worth OMR300,000 under new initiative in Oman

Muscat: Four research agreements worth more than OMR300,000 have been signed in a bid to boost research and development collaborations between industries and the academe in the Sultanate.
The agreements, which were signed by Ejaad Platform, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), and Sultan Qaboos University, target different research challenges faced in Oman, offering a unique opportunity to support the nation’s sustainable development.
According to Dr. Suleiman Al Toobi, Director of Ejaad Platform, the first of the four projects will address the generation of bio-fuels as a clean, sustainable, and commercial energy resource, while the second will deal with the failure analysis of well tubing hanger.
The third project will address parallel clearance between Overhead Power Lines (OHLs) and pipelines, while the fourth aims to develop a polymer for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR).
“The platform aims to link academic research to industrial needs, targeting the sectors of oil and gas, water, renewable energy, and energy efficiency,” said Dr. Al Toobu about the objectives of Ejaad.
“One of Ejaad’s objectives is to maximise in-country value (ICV) by routing business research and development (R&D) requests to local researchers and academic institutions through technology transfer and the dissemination and commercialisation of research findings.”
The agreements were sealed at a special ceremony at the Grand Millennium Muscat held under the patronage of Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas, which was attended by a number of chief executive officers and researchers from various industrial and academic organisations in the Sultanate.
“The signing of these four projects represents the first real and tangible output from the platform, and a reaffirmation of how greater alignment between industry and academia can bring significant and lasting benefits for the Sultanate,” said PDO Managing Director Raoul Restucci.
The signing ceremony was held on the sidelines of an Ejaad Leadership Breakfast event, which was aimed at keeping CEOs, researchers, and platform members informed of the latest progress achieved by the Ejaad Platform and the challenges it faces.
Ejaad was founded as a membership-based virtual collaborative platform where industries, the academe, and the government can interact and engage in energy-related research and innovation activities.
It works as an enabler or a marketplace that connects academic research and know-how to industry needs, and vice versa.