What is CONRAD?
CONRAD is a network of companies, universities and government agencies organized to facilitate collaboritive research in science and technology for Alberta Oil Sands
Goals, Objectives and Principles
Beliefs of the founders of CONRAD
- An R&D network promoting "shared research" will improve technology development. This considered a key to the future growth in oil sands
- Collaborative R&D have higher impact on technology development than isolated R&D and it must be encouraged
- Diverse views and champions are essential for innovations in technology
- Step change improvements in technology are required for further development of oil sands, for its competitiveness and environmental performance
- Improving economic competitiveness offers many technical and technological challenges
- Research presents opportunities for meeting requirements of the ever tightening environmental regulations
- R&D sponsors wish the control of their R&D investments in their hands Research will create wealth when a new technology is applied in the field
Goals
CONRAD has the following three goals:
- Improve the performance of the Oil Sands Industry through superior new technologies
- Improve the effectiveness and quality of Oil Sands Research
- Develop technologies that that will further improve Industry’s environmental performance
Objectives
Encourage, initiate, and support collabrative research in oil sands by bringing together
- Industry’s research needs and research ideas
- Research sponsors and research providers
Principles
The CONRAD Model is based on the following principles:
- The Network will be by the industry members
- All organizations funding research and providers of R&D can participate
- Those who provide resources will provide the strategic direction and project/program selection
- Projects will be selected on scientific merit and the commercial applicability to oil sands
- Coordination will increase the level of cooperation and improve effectiveness of existing R&D efforts
- Network’s intellectual property policy will enable collaborative research
- The Network will link together the necessary researchers in key areas of expertise and will improve efficiency by directing funds to actual research projects
Advantages of CONRAD
Collaborative Research under the CONRAD model offers the following advantages:
- Leverage research costs
- Share risks
- Share resulting new technologies
- Build on each other’s ideas
- Meet the challenges of the Oil Sands Industry
Need for an R&D Network for Oil Sands
The need for a collaborative R&D network was born out of industries in R&D. It was concluded that R&D without collaboration was:
- Competitive
- Secretive
- Duplicative, and
- Very costly
Current Need for R&D for Oil Sands
- Currently, the need for Oil Sands Research and Technology Development is stronger due to the rapid growth of the Industry
- The need for a collaborative R&D Network is greater, especially for the new projects
- Recognition within the industry of the need for R&D and the "state-of-art" technologies is much wider
- Willingness to cooperate and collaborate is higher among:
- Members of the Industry
- Research organizations
- Major universities
- Government funding agencies
- There is a better understanding by the Industry where and how a collaborative R&D Model can be successful
Scope of Research under CONRAD
Initiate research into new ideas that will permit new grass-roots development while improving the performance of existing operations.
This Scope includes the following research areas:
- Environmental Research
- In-Situ Recovery
- Surface Mining of Oil Sands
- Bitumen Extraction
- Bitumen and Heavy Oil Upgrading
Organization and Membership of CONRAD
- A Network Coordinating Council (NCC)
- An Executive Committee
- Secretariat
- A part-time General Manager
- 15 Industry members
- 5 Government institutions
- 3 Associate members – two Alberta universities and one Industry association