Saudi Aramco Upstream Technology Company (SAUTC), a Saudi Aramco company, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Russia's Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) to promote joint research cooperation primarily on oil and gas innovation with a specific focus on upstream technology.
'Under the MOU, Saudi Aramco and MSU will conduct programs and projects to include developing new advanced materials applied in the oil and gas industry as well as methods and techniques for reservoir and oilfield data acquisition, analysis and computational modeling,' read a press release issued by Saudi Aramco on Wednesday.
A new Saudi Aramco Research Center will also be established at the MSU Science Park in Moscow.
The collaboration will also entail both parties organizing bilateral joint laboratories, symposiums, workshops and conferences.
'Saudi Aramco welcomes this collaboration with Moscow State University, an institution that is distinguished both by its venerable history and its academic prestige, notably in advanced upstream disciplines,' said Mohammed Y. Al-Qahtani, Saudi Aramco's senior vice president of Upstream.
'In this era of accelerating technology and innovation, strategic collaboration between industry and academia is vital for impactful solutions to society’s most pressing priorities and challenges,' he added.
Andrey A. Fedyanin, vice-rector of Lomonosov Moscow State University, said the university had a 'vast' experience of fundamental research in the areas of geophysics and geochemistry, digital modeling and big data analytics.
'Collaboration with Saudi Aramco will assist in turning theoretical ideas into practical developments and innovations,' Fedyanin added.
Saudi Aramco is the world's largest integrated oil and gas company.
By Hale Turkes
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr