Petrobras Research & Development Center and the Brazilian Universities: A Journey to the Future: ABSTRACT

Abstract

The generation and transfer of technology between Petrobras` Research & Development Center and the Brazilian Universities have been a very significant factor in the process of development of oil industry-related technology in Brazil. From a historic point of view, the trends of generation and transfer of technology in the Brazilian scenary have followed, in the last 40 years, three different stages, namely importation, absorption and application, as well as generation of new technologies, whenever adequated solutions were unavailable outside Brazil. In the last decade, the needs of generation of deep water exploration and production technology, led to the implementation of a intensive program involving Petrobras` Research & Development Center and 23 Brazilian universities and research centers. As a result, about 80 projects of applied research in the areas of exploitation, drilling and exploration have been successfully concluded between 1988 and 1994, with almost 22 million dollars having been invested by Petrobras. In addition, M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs in stratigraphy, geophysics, structural geology, petroleum engineering and reservoir engineering were launched at five different universities, fully funded by Petrobras, in an attempt to also integrate the academic research and to prepare highly skilled professionals for future oil industry needs. As a result,more » Brazil today is on its way to have a dynamic network of academic and oil industry related applied research, in which the generation, transfer and application of technology is equally important as the formation of professionals and support of academic institutions. The most outstanding result of this program put Petrobras in the leading role in deep water petroleum exploration and exploitation.« less