Every second year the Research Council of Norway (RCN) visits the IOR Centre to get an update on our work.
The National IOR Centre of Norway is supported by the The Research Council of Norway (RCN) with 10 million NOK each year. Therefore, RCN is following the Centre closely. The Centre reports twice a year, we have annual contact meetings and they come to visit us every second year - a so-called site visit.
17 October the Centre arranged site visit with three representatives from RCN, two observers from NPD and several from the university management present. The leaders of the board and the technical committee at the Centre were also invited. The purpose of the event was to update RCN on our work.
«We are especially eager to see how you have met the recommendations from the mid-term evaluation two years ago. Also, a lot of money has been spent on this Centre. Our expectations are equally big. We expect results and added value,» Siri Helle Friedemann from RCN said.
The responsability to educate
Siri Helle Friedemann came to the site visit with colleagues Ingrid Anne Munz and Liv Jorunn Jenssen. Ingrid Anne Munz stressed the importance of keep educating candidates to the petroleum industry.
«You and the other petroleum centres have been very important in this aspect. You have to continue this work,» she said.
Dean Øystein Lund Bø spoke for a broader petroleum education.
«The energy and environmental perspective is more important than ever. Therefore we have to broaden our education. The new master in computational engineering is a result of this,» he said.
Continuation of the Centre
With only two years left of funding, the Centre has to come up with plans for continuation.
«To continue the Centre, we depend on a close cooperation with the industry,» Centre leader Ying Guo said.
«What are your options? If you don't get money from the industry or university, will you have to close down?» Liv Jorunn Jensen from RCN asked.
«The Norwegian Continental Shelf will live on for years to come. Therefore research centres like ours must excist. We could continue as a IOR Graduate School. We could also sthrengthen the collaboration with the other petroleum centres. Finally, we will continue working for local capacity on large scale infrastructure. Without it we will never be able to implement our methods to field,» Ying Guo said.
After the meeting at University of Stavanger, the delegation went to Halliburton's offices in Tananger to see the large scale test set-up.