Research Programs
Extensive research is being carried out into various facets of the industry, especially in heavy oil and oil sands. Research and development is conducted by research organizations, educational institutions, industry associations, cooperative ventures and individual companies.
Alberta oil sands companies alone invest $75 to $100 million annually in research and development to improve both economics and environmental performance of oil recovery projects.1
Alberta's Innovative Energy Technologies Program (IETP) offers royalty adjustments of up to $10 million per pilot project for those that demonstrate new and innovative technologies for increasing oil, natural gas, and bitumen reserves in an environmental and responsible way1. Since 2005, $148 million has been invested by the province of Alberta in projects under the IETP.
Research & Development
The Canadian oil and gas industry conducts extensive research into a wide spectrum of areas. Studies are carried out by research organizations, educational institutions, industry associations, cooperative ventures and individual company programs. Areas of investigation include:
- crude oil recovery
- refining and upgrading
- pipeline optimization
- petrochemical processes
- environmental management
- ocean energy
Independent companies and Canadian federal and provincial governments have contributed more than $50 billion to research and development studies, programs and projects. Canadian universities account for 25% of all research activity in Canada. Most research funds are channelled through research councils or individual provincial programs.
At the institutional level, some universities and their host cities have developed research parks to enhance collaboration among research organizations. Private sector programs tend to focus on applied research, generally for specific projects.
