Schlumberger Opens Research Center
Posted: 30 March 2006
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Schlumberger Oilfield Services, the leading oilfield services company in Saudi Arabia for more than 60 years, inaugurated this week in Dhahran its fifth worldwide research center.
 Conceived as an idea in 1999 by Ali I. Al-Naimi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, and Euan Baird, then chairman and CEO of Schlumberger, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) and Saudi Aramco welcomed the idea of collaborating with Schlumberger in developing a center near campus to strengthen and enrich the culture of research at the university.
The center started in the KFUPM Research Institute Building in 2000. Six years later, the center earned its own location with the completion of the Schlumberger Dhahran Carbonate Research (SDCR) center, housing 13 scientists on staff in the first research center to open in KFUPM's King Abdullah Science Park . The center is expected to house several more scientists by year end.
Dr. Khalid Al-Sultan, KFUPM director; Andrew Gould, chairman and CEO of Schlumberger; and Abdallah S. Jum'ah, president and CEO of Saudi Aramco, highlighted the ceremonies on Saturday with their opening speeches.
In addition to Al-Naimi, Prince Faysal bin Turki, Jum'ah and more than 300 oil and gas industry, government and academic institution representatives attended the ceremonies, listened to presentations of the center's projects and toured the SDCR.
"Our decision to locate the center here," said Gould, in his opening speech, "was based on our recognition of Saudi Arabia 's growing leadership in oil production to meet global energy demand, our desire to bring scientists closer to many of the world's major reservoirs and our wish to be close to a center of academic excellence."
"This center will be an ideal bridge between Schlumberger's global network of research centers, KFUPM's first-rate faculty and staff, and Saudi Aramco's scientists, researchers and engineers," said Jum'ah.
Sultan revealed a futuristic initiative pursued by KFUPM called "the Techno Valley ," which will be an area of 600,000 square meters housing R&D facilities and technology centers with industry collaboration.
The SDCR is expected to serve the Middle East region, and it is envisioned that breakthrough technology will be developed and deployed worldwide from this center, which will work hand in hand with key clients, such as Saudi Aramco.
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