Future Directions in Cooperative Petroleum Research

Background and Purpose

One of the most interesting and challenging issues influencing the
relationship between the oil industry and the universities and research
institutes is the changing landscape of cooperation that we see happening.
With the now clearly stated, but previously implied, statement from the
Norwegian authorities that the universities will have to obtain an
increasing part of the funding from private sources, this calls for a
change in relation between the research institutes, that previously have
benefittet most form the external financing, and the universities, that
traditionally have relied more on govermental funding. The creation of
Center of Excellences have also changed the landscape.

At the same time, the trend of mergers between the oil companies reduces
the number of players available for major projects, but leaves room for a
number of smaller players with perhaps a different need for cooperation
with the academia. Although the tax deduction of research money is a great
incentive for the large players, it have to compete with the support of
company internal research efforts, that generally is seen as one of the
real competitive advantages.

Through all this, cooperation have existed throughout the last 30 years,
both dependant and defiantly independant of govermental and institutional
initiatives and incentives. This is due to the very nature of the business
- the constant challenges to the boundary of knowledge and skills - that
have allowed the Norwegian oil community to survive and be vital through
both good and bad times. That is what the FresCo seminar is all about.
Through the discussions and personal contacts to generate new ideas and
directions for research and projects, that then can be taken further,
either as private projects or as FORCE led projects - to satisfy that
curiosity that we all have.