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UTP - SHELL INK DEAL FOR ACADEMIC CHAIR SPONSORSHIP IN PETROLEUM GEOSCIENCES
Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) today progressed further in its continuous efforts in providing enhanced learning experience for its students with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Shell Malaysia to establish the Shell Chair in Petroleum Geosciences at the university.
The MoU is part of a long-term programme which involves collaborations between UTP and major oil and gas industry players that will pave the way to enhanced relationship between the industry and the academia in creating a pool of educated and trained human capital.
Such collaborations will enable UTP to tap the expertise and knowledge of its partners which would then be imparted to the undergraduates pursuing petroleum-related courses. This will also assist in UTP’s efforts to strengthen its position in research and development, one of the main focus areas of the university.
Apart from the financial sponsorship for the Chair, Shell will also provide UTP access to its technical expertise and technologies. Shell will also grant several scholarships annually, starting in 2007, to undergraduate and postgraduate UTP students in the fields of engineering and petroleum geosciences, apart from its annual undergraduate internship programmes. These eight-month internships will be conducted at several Shell outfits in
In his speech during the signing ceremony, UTP Rector and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Zainal Abidin Kasim, also announced the setting up of a second academic chair known as the Chair in Petroleum Engineering which is sponsored by another major oil and gas company.
The MoU with Shell was signed in conjunction with the 2nd International Research & Development Forum on Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals (IRDF), which is held from 6 to 7 December 2006 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. More than 200 participants from the academia and the industry are attending this forum.
The biennial forum is jointly organised by UTP and PETRONAS and serves as a platform for university researchers and industry practitioners to exchange ideas and learn about recent advancements on R&D which have produced breakthroughs in technology and have high application potentials for Exploration & Production (E&P), refinery, gas and petrochemical industries and could shape the future of the industry.