The engineering department of Qatar University has signed an agreement with Russia’s largest oil company Rosneft on cooperation in research and technology development in the oil and gas industry, Gulf Times reports.
“The agreement with Rosneft is in line with the university’s policy of developing cooperation with local and international organizations that specialize in Qatar’s priority sectors, such as gas research,” Khaled Kamal Naji, Dean of the University’s Department of Engineering said in a statement published on the faculty’s website.
He noted the need to invest in scientific and research programs that play a significant role in supporting sustainable development projects.
As the director of the gas research center Professor Muftah al-Na’as explained, the development of cooperation mentioned in the document provides for consultations in the oil and gas sector, as well as the development of research projects to familiarise them with international research centres, and the organisation of continuing education courses for people working in this industry.
Rosneft opened its main international research and development centre in Doha’s Science and Technology Park, in early 2018.
The Gulf country’s sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) emerged as a major shareholder in Rosneft in May 2018 after a $9 billion deal to sell a stake to China’s troubled CEFC Energy Co. collapsed. The sovereign wealth fund now owns 18.93 percent of Rosneft, making it the third-largest shareholder after the Russian state, which holds 50 percent, and UK oil major BP with 19.75 percent.
