Oil industry taking big steps for promoting innovation, technology

By Ebrahim Fallahi

Oil industry taking big steps for promoting innovation, technology

Economy

August 10, 2021 - 13:36

TEHRAN – As one of the major pillars of the Iranian economy, the oil industry has been evolving continuously over the past four decades and with the world stepping into the new era of technological advances the Iranian oil industry too has been taking new steps in this regard.

In 2020, National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) announced the implementation of a new program for using the capacities of domestic knowledge-based companies, research institutions and universities for meeting the oil industry’s technological needs.

Since then, the company has conducted numerous research projects, held several events, and supported a great number of innovative ideas presented by knowledge-based companies and startups.

The RIPI

As the major research body of the Oil Ministry, the Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI) has inked numerous memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with knowledge-based companies and universities for cooperation in production of new equipment or conducting ground breaking research on oil and gas industry’s new areas.

According to the RIPI Head Jafar Tofiqi, diversifying the basket of technological products in the oil industry is one of the main goals of this institution’s collaboration with other knowledge centers.

“The research institute is not just a research contractor, it plays a strategic role in addressing the needs of the oil industry,” Tofiqi has said.

Last year, RIPI also carried out several major research projects aimed at increasing the recovery factor of the country’s oil fields in collaboration with the county’s universities.

Oil and Gas Industry Innovation and Technology Park

The movement towards innovation and new technologies has not been limited to the activities of the RIPI.

The Oil Ministry officially inaugurated the country’s Oil and Gas Industry Innovation and Technology Park in mid-June; this park aims to develop new technologies and expand cooperation among the entities active in innovation and technology fields like universities, research institutes, and private companies.

The inauguration ceremony of the park was attended by The outgoing Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh,  Vice-President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari and a group of top officials in the oil industry as well as researchers and technology experts.

Speaking at the ceremony, Zanganeh said the park’s main goal was to upgrade related technologies, develop markets, improve a knowledge-based economy and create professional job opportunities.

“It is going to utilize the Islamic Republic’s existing capacities in science and technology to develop the infrastructure in oil and gas sectors,” Zanganeh said.

Now, nearly two months after the inauguration of the park, this entity has signed eight MOUs with universities and science and technology parks across the country with the aim of establishing and launching joint innovation and technology centers.

The mentioned MOUs were signed with the University of Tehran, the Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Sahand University of Technology, Institute of Geophysics of Tehran University, Khorasan Science and Technology Park, North Khorasan Science and Technology Park, Semnan Science and Technology Park, and Yazd Science and Technology Park.

The purpose of signing the MOUs with the University of Tehran and Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz is reported to be the establishment of joint innovation centers, while the goal of signing the agreement with Sahand University of Technology, Geophysics Institute of Tehran University and Semnan Science and Technology Park is to establish joint growth centers.

In agreement with Khorasan, North Khorasan, and Yazd Science and Technology Parks, the Oil Industry Innovation and Technology Park also pursues the goal of supporting technology units active in the oil industry.

The Oil Industry Innovation and Technology Park had previously signed five cooperation agreements with the Ministry of Science, Isfahan Scientific and Research Park, as well as Shiraz University of Technology, and Amirkabir University of Science and Technology.