Saudi Aramco's Research and Development Center recently obtained the ISO 29001 certificate issued by the International Standards Organization (ISO). It is the first center in the Middle East to obtain the certificate for basic activities related to research and development. The certificate represents the latest quality management system for the oil and gas industry sector and it is the product of cooperation between the American Institute of Petroleum and the International Standards Organization. Saudi Aramco's Research and Development Center has reached a distinctive stage - a status with specific features and recognized worldwide. It required fulfillment of specific criteria supervised by independent and reputable international institutions. To reach this goal, the center implemented the ISO systems that specify criteria in many fields, and Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSAS) criteria that are recognized internationally for the management of occupational health and safety. The trend of Research and Development Center has become a pioneering role not only for Saudi Aramco but for the Middle East region as a whole. This was not achieved easily. Training employees to focus on excellence was the fruit of great efforts for a long time. Professionals worldwide now recognize Saudi Aramco and its qualifications in research and management. The Research and Development Center in Saudi Aramco provides applied research at the required time at a low cost to support the environmental and industrial goals of Saudi Aramco. The center provides a number of services like research work within the scope of the company to meet its requirements to focus on research on prospecting and production activities (traps and production), on refining operations and marketing (gas laboratories and refineries), material sciences, environmental research, technical support and overcoming the problems and finding solutions for them. The sophisticated laboratories of the center provide analytical and support services for the company's different departments like exploration, production, industrialization, engineering services, works and the region's laboratories. The center coordinates between Saudi Aramco and academic institutions within the Kingdom and outside it. The center is also concerned with management of intellectual assets through a team formed by Saudi Aramco with the aim of protecting and developing its intellectual properties. The team manages the patent rights and markets technologies and inventions made recently.
